You can retract your words but the damage was done. If you want to avoid future lawsuits, you watch your words.
If I flipped off a police officer and later said to the judge that, “I didn’t mean it,” the damage was done. I would get the punishment.
I remember this story from Catholic School (Yes Virginia, there used to be such a thing). A woman goes to confession and tells a priest about her gossiping. Priest severely scolds her. Priest gives her penance to take a pillow up on the roof and shake it until all the feathers are in the air. Then, she is to come back in a week.
Next week, she goes back and tells the priest that she did as told. Priest says now gather all the feathers and put them back in the pillow. Woman says that’s impossible. Priest says yes and when you gossip, you can never take it back.
NYT - you can never take it back.