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withdrawn; secluded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 To retire means "to stop working," but also "to retreat or withdraw," and in the 1500s, retired meant "separated or withdrawn from society."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.
The author is a retired state of California administrator and a California veteran who lives in La Habra Heights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Here she writes of a persnickety English couple, freshly retired, who yearn to meet people with the same interests and standards as themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
So did Charles Bolden, a US Marine Corps Major General who became the head of Nasa, and a retired Lt Gen Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to become a three-star general in the Army.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Lawmakers from both main US parties have said they were against it, and dozens of retired US military officers warned in an open letter against broadcasting the execution.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Her maids carried them upstairs and demure Penelope retired with great contentment in her heart.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
