duty to retreat

noun

A legal requirement in some jurisdictions that a threatened individual cannot harm another in self-defense when it is possible instead to retreat to a place of safety.

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Meanings

nounduty to retreat (plural duties to retreat)

plural duties to retreat

  1. lawA legal requirement in some jurisdictions that a threatened individual cannot harm another in self-defense when it is possible instead to retreat to a place of safety.
Cite this entry
APA

duty to retreat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duty%20to%20retreat

MLA

“duty to retreat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duty%20to%20retreat. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “duty to retreat,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duty%20to%20retreat.

Source: duty to retreat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.