flight vs retreat

flight

noun
  • The act of fleeing. 

  • An aerodynamic surface designed to guide such a projectile's trajectory. 

  • The shaped material forming the thread of a screw. 

  • The feathers on an arrow or dart used to help it follow an even path. 

  • A paper airplane. 

  • The act of flying. 

  • A floor which is reached by stairs or escalators. 

  • An episode of imaginative thinking or dreaming. 

  • The movement of a spinning ball through the air - concerns its speed, trajectory and drift. 

  • A trip made by an aircraft, particularly one between two cities or countries, which is often planned or reserved in advance. 

  • An air force unit. 

  • Several sample glasses of a specific wine varietal or other beverage. The pours are smaller than a full glass and the flight will generally include three to five different samples. 

  • A series of stairs between landings. 

  • An instance of flying. 

  • The ballistic trajectory of an arrow or other projectile. 

  • A collective term for doves or swallows. 

  • A group of canal locks with a short distance between them 

verb
  • To throw or kick something so as to send it flying with more loft or airtime than usual. 

  • To throw the ball in such a way that it has more airtime and more spin than usual. 

retreat

noun
  • The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant. 

  • A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy or security. 

  • The act of reversing direction and receding from a forward position. 

  • A bugle call or drumbeat signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset, as on a military base. 

  • A military ceremony to lower the flag. 

  • The move of a piece from a threatened position. 

  • A period of retirement, seclusion, or solitude. 

  • A period of meditation, prayer or study. 

  • A signal for a military withdrawal. 

  • Withdrawal by military force from a dangerous position or from enemy attack. 

verb
  • To slope back. 

  • To withdraw military forces 

  • To shrink back due to generally warmer temperatures. 

  • To withdraw from a position, go back. 

  • a retreating forehead 

How often have the words flight and retreat occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )