Facing strong opposition, the government had to retreat from the proposed policy.

retreat 是动词，来自古法语 retret，由前缀 re-（表示"向后"）和词根 treat（处理）组成，字面意思是"向后处理"，引申为"撤退、放弃"。在句中指"放弃原有立场或计划"。