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-rey]
/ 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)
-
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 1–January 7, 2022
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 17–April 23, 2021
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Asked about Grande's decision to retire from live performance for what she has called "a long, long, long, long, long time", fans said they were fully in support.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
This week, she crunched the numbers for a couple doing well financially — running two businesses — but is approaching 60, when they wish to retire.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Having taken charge of three matches in his second World Cup, Taylor says he only decided to retire once his tournament ended, which seemed like "the perfect time".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
They’ve also considered the fact that with residency or citizenship they could retire or Portugal or their son could attend a university in Europe, where tuition amounts to a fraction of U.S. costs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Rush once again vowed to retire, but decided to regain his good name before doing so.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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
If your spouse or ex-spouse retires before you do, you may be eligible to collect spousal benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Larry Berg, the co-managing owner of LAFC, was chosen Monday to become the third commissioner in MLS history when Don Garber retires in December.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Haaland has discussed his desire to run a farm in his home country when he retires and can frequently be spotted strolling around Oslo, where he owns an apartment.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Doug Petno will become sole head of the commercial and investment bank; Troy Rohrbaugh will lead consumer and community banking after Marianne Lake retires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
How will I learn all there is to know about magic if Ma retires so soon?
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
Marlene Nino, a 70-year-old retired lawyer who lost her sister Doris, said she felt grateful for the volunteers who helped recover some of her photos from the ruins.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Fellow Author Dr Phil Bierwirth, a retired environmental geoscientist affiliated with the ANU Emeritus Faculty, emphasized that the study does not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
Morale aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier already is difficult to maintain without a record-breaking stint, said Julie Roland, a retired veteran Navy lieutenant commander who worked briefly on the USS Lincoln.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Maintaining elevated numbers of deployed ships and doing extended ship deployments are like paying for something with a credit card,” said Ronald O’Rourke, a retired naval affairs analyst for the Congressional Research Service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Their last box office attendant, a long-time bubbe, had retired to Boca Raton, and the Senders had a problem.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Last week, Scott Wiener, one of the two candidates seeking to replace the retiring former speaker in San Francisco, released a chatbot of his opponent, Connie Chan.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
“I asked him, ‘What are you going to enjoy most about retiring, Dad?’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Radiologist Andy Robbins ramped up international travel a few years before retiring from his full-time medical practice in 2019.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Garcia, who splits his time between Spain and Malaysia, gained his Uefa Pro Licence and sporting director licence after retiring.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
“Are you so offended that I managed a method of secretly retiring, instead of actually gleaning myself?”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
