verb

retrieve

rih-TREEV/rɪˈtriːv/

To get something back or bring it from where it is stored or located.

The dog retrieves the ball and brings it to her hand.

A dog brings a tennis ball back to a waiting woman, placing it directly into her outstretched hand.

Etymology

Finding again is the central idea: early English use concerned dogs finding lost game. The sense extends from rediscovery to recovering something or bringing it back.

In context

Movie Recaps1:14

… They go back to the house entrance to retrieve them, but the shoes aren't there where she left them.

Girl Accepts a Job As a Nanny For a Wealthy Couple Only to Find Out That The Child is a Doll

More examples

She retrieved her suitcase from the storage room.
I can retrieve the document from the backup.
He returned to retrieve his forgotten gloves.

Forms

retrieve · retrieves · retrieved · retrieving

retrieval noun — the act of getting something back

retrievable adjective — able to be recovered

Similar words

fetch: Usually go and bring something, without necessarily recovering it.
recover: Often suggests getting back something lost or unavailable.