retreat vs spill

retreat

verb
  • To withdraw from a position, go back. 

  • To slope back. 

  • To withdraw military forces 

  • To shrink back due to generally warmer temperatures. 

  • a retreating forehead 

noun
  • 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. 

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

  • A signal for a military withdrawal. 

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

spill

verb
  • To come undone. 

  • To mar; to damage; to destroy by misuse; to waste. 

  • To drop something that was intended to be caught. 

  • To open the leadership of a parliamentary party for re-election. 

  • To reveal information to an uninformed party. 

  • To cover or decorate with slender pieces of wood, metal, ivory, etc.; to inlay. 

  • To relieve a sail from the pressure of the wind, so that it can be more easily reefed or furled, or to lessen the strain. 

  • To spread out or fall out, as above. 

  • To cause to flow out and be lost or wasted; to shed. 

  • To drop something so that it spreads out or makes a mess; to accidentally pour. 

noun
  • A fall or stumble. 

  • A metallic rod or pin. 

  • One of the thick laths or poles driven horizontally ahead of the main timbering in advancing a level in loose ground. 

  • A small stick or piece of paper used to light a candle, cigarette etc by the transfer of a flame from a fire. 

  • A peg or pin for plugging a hole, as in a cask; a spile. 

  • A declaration that the leadership of a parliamentary party is vacant, and open for re-election. Short form of leadership spill. 

  • A mess of something that has been dropped. 

  • The situation where sound is picked up by a microphone from a source other than that which is intended. 

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