retire
verb (used without object)
to withdraw from one's career, occupation, or office, usually because of age.
retire
1 American
[ri-tahyuhr]
/ rɪˈtaɪər /
verb (used without object)
-
retires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
retired,
past participle, past
-
retiring
present participle
-
to withdraw from one's career, occupation, or office, usually because of age.
to retire at the age of sixty.
-
to withdraw, or go away or apart, to a place of privacy, shelter, or seclusion.
He retired to his study.
-
to go to bed.
He retired at midnight.
-
to fall back or retreat in an orderly fashion and according to plan, as from battle, an untenable position, danger, etc.
-
to withdraw or remove oneself.
After announcing the guests, the butler retired.
verb (used with object)
-
retires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
retired,
past participle, past
-
retiring
present participle
-
to withdraw from circulation by taking up and paying, as bonds, bills, etc.; redeem.
-
to withdraw or lead back (troops, ships, etc.), as from battle or danger; retreat.
-
to remove from active service or the usual field of activity, as an army officer or business executive.
-
to withdraw (a machine, ship, etc.) permanently from its normal service, usually for scrapping; take out of use.
-
Baseball, Cricket. to put out or end the offensive play of (a batter, runner, side, etc.).
The pitcher’s on fire, retiring the last five hitters with strikeouts.
With two runners stranded on base, the side is retired.
noun
Literary.
-
a place of withdrawal; retreat.
a cool retire from summer's heat.
-
retirement or withdrawal, as from worldly matters or the company of others.
retiré
2
American
[r uh-tee-ray]
/ rə tiˈreɪ /
noun
Ballet.
-
retirés
plural
retire
British
/ rɪˈtaɪə /
verb
-
(also tr) to give up or to cause (a person) to give up his work, a post, etc, esp on reaching pensionable age (in Britain and Australia usually 65 for men, 60 for women)
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to go away, as into seclusion, for recuperation, etc
-
to go to bed
-
to recede or disappear
the sun retired behind the clouds
-
to withdraw from a sporting contest, esp because of injury
-
(also tr) to pull back (troops, etc) from battle or an exposed position or (of troops, etc) to fall back
-
(tr)
-
to remove (bills, bonds, shares, etc) from circulation by taking them up and paying for them
-
to remove (money) from circulation
-
Synonym Usage
See depart.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
retiresimple
-
retiressimple
-
have retiredperfect
-
has retiredperfect
-
am retiringprogressive
-
are retiringprogressive
-
is retiringprogressive
-
have been retiringperfect progressive
-
has been retiringperfect progressive
Past
-
retiredsimple
-
had retiredperfect
-
was retiringprogressive
-
were retiringprogressive
-
had been retiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of retire1
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French retirer “to withdraw, pull back,” equivalent to re- re- + tirer “to draw”
Origin of retiré2
< French, past participle of retirer to retire
Explanation
If you stop working by choice and leave your position or occupation, you retire. If you are lucky, you can retire early in order to sail around the world, but most people can't retire until they are old enough to collect retirement benefits. If you go to bed in the evening, you retire. If your younger siblings are being loud and obnoxious, you can retire to the basement to get some privacy and quiet. If something is withdrawn from circulation, it can also be retired. When a beloved player leaves a sports team, often the number assigned to him or her is retired and no one else can use that number.
Vocabulary lists containing retire
"Of Mice and Men"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 17–April 23, 2021
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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.
See Examples For:
People retire, have grandchildren, liquidate a family home or go from being robust to becoming, as the saying goes, medically interesting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
LOS ANGELES—Two years ago, Jake Bauers wanted to retire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
That affects their financial security now and when they retire.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
I want to retire, and my wife says we can’t afford to.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Then,” said Poirot, “having placed my solution before you, I have the honour to retire from the case...”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
For added strength, use might be made of a linen thread at the back, as in the point couché rentré ou retiré method that is discussed later.
From Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving by Grace Christie
Immediately after the game, the Sparks announced that they would name their new practice facility in El Segundo after Ogwumike, who retires as the Sparks’ all-time leading scorer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
In white-ball cricket, Wood retires as England's sixth-highest wicket-taker in men's T20s with 54 from 38 matches, and he took 80 scalps in 70 one-day internationals.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Howard Buffett, 71, on Friday assumed the title of chairman as his father retires from the role.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
When he retires at either 65 or 67, can he draw off of her earnings record?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Before he retires to his own rooms, a suite three times the size of his flat, Marco quietly returns to the library.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Jorge Baeza, retired as a truck driver and has worked for Kodiak since 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Now retired, Paulsen publishes a Substack newsletter in which he revived an early warning indicator he’s used successfully as an economic signal in the past: the Walmart Recession Signal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
After Chourio’s leadoff home run, Snell retired 18 of the next 20 batters he faced, including 14 in a row, to get through six innings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
A group of 72 retired US generals, admirals, and other high-ranking military officers are pressing the US government to cancel plans to livestream an execution by firing squad.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
There were mostly retired warriors listed, occasionally the name of an esteemed master scholar of the temple.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
But offshore sanctuaries have yet to be proven a successful solution for retiring performing whales.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Kevin Mannix worked out of the San Francisco Police Department’s Taraval Station for 27 years before retiring, according to the association in June 2018.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The 4% rule was built around a 30-year retirement, and retiring at 60 could mean 35 years or more, so some planners use 3.5% to 3.75% for a longer horizon.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Kelce was part of Philadelphia's 2018 Super Bowl winning side and earned seven selections to the Pro Bowl - the annual NFL game featuring the league's top players - before retiring in 2024.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
I lingered some minutes, being unaccustomed to retiring from a chamber without permission or direction; but our hostess having disappeared, I passed above-stairs to see what strife had occasioned such an outburst.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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