adjective
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having given up one's work, office, etc, esp on completion of the normal period of service
a retired headmistress
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( as collective noun ; preceded by the )
the retired
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withdrawn; secluded
a retired life
a retired cottage in the woods
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of retired
Explanation
Someone who's retired has stopped working permanently. A retired teacher who misses his job might volunteer at an after-school program. Most retired people in the U.S. are over the age of 65, although some are able to retire earlier, and some continue working well into their 70s or 80s. Some jobs provide pensions, or partial salaries, to retired workers, and other retired people take advantage of government-provided benefits like Social Security. To retire means "to stop working," but also "to retreat or withdraw," and in the 1500s, retired meant "separated or withdrawn from society."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lagrue has been recruited essentially as a replacement for Helmut Marko, who retired from his long-time role as Red Bull's motorsport adviser at the end of last year.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
I am 71, retired and currently living comfortably on Social Security and a pension.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Sheehan retired the next three batters as the Dodgers started to take control.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
"It's good to have escaped the heatwave," said the recently retired couple from the southern French city of Marseille.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Since he retired, Scooter has been living in a rooming house in Cape May, New Jersey.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
