abjure, recant, forswear, retract, resile -- (formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure; "He retracted his earlier statements about his religion"; "She abjured her beliefs")
shrink back, retract -- (pull away from a source of disgust or fear)
retract, pull back, draw back -- (use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ))
draw in, retract -- (pull inward or towards a center; "The pilot drew in the landing gear"; "The cat retracted his claws")