noun [U]
1 (formal) the process of getting sth back, especially from a place where it should not be:
The ship was buried, beyond retrieval, at the bottom of the sea. * (figurative) By then the situation was beyond retrieval (= impossible to put right).
2 (computing) the process of getting back information that is stored on a computer:
methods of information retrieval * retrieval programs / skills / systems
