retirement

American  

[ri-tahyuhr-muhnt] / rɪˈtaɪər mənt /

noun

• retirements
  plural

1. the act of retiring or of leaving one's job, career, or occupation permanently, usually because of age.

   I'm looking forward to my retirement from teaching.

2. the portion of a person's life during which a person is retired.

   What will you do in retirement?

3. a pension or other income on which a retired person lives.

   His retirement is barely enough to pay the rent.

4. the act of retiring, withdrawing, or leaving; the state of being retired.

   After a competitive day on the golf course, she enjoys a quiet retirement to the residents' lounge.

5. removal of something from service or use.

   retirement of the space shuttle fleet.

6. withdrawal of a jury from a courtroom to deliberate in private on a verdict.

7. orderly withdrawal of a military force, according to plan, without pressure from the enemy.

8. withdrawal of securities from the market by a corporation, as through payment at maturity, repurchase, or exchange.

9. withdrawal into privacy or seclusion.

10. privacy or seclusion.

11. a private or secluded place.

12. Baseball, Cricket. the act or instance of the defense putting out or ending the offensive play of a batter, runner, side, etc.

    The retirement of the Brewers in the third inning came only after they scored six more runs.

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adjective

1. noting or pertaining to retirement.

   retirement pay.

retirement British  

/ rɪˈtaɪəmənt /

noun

1. 1. the act of retiring from one's work, office, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      retirement age

2. the period of being retired from work

   she had many plans for her retirement

3. seclusion from the world; privacy

4. the act of going away or retreating

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonretirement
  noun
• semiretirement
  noun
• postretirement
  adjective
• preretirement
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• retirements
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of retirement

First recorded in 1530–40; retire + -ment ( def. )

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Explanation

Retirement is when someone stops working, usually after many years, to take a break or start a new occupation. In order to consider retirement, a worker must usually have saved enough money to stop working. This most commonly happens after years at a job, and retirement is often a cause of celebration. Sometimes, as in "early retirement," a much younger person is able to stop working for pay — in some cases, because she's become wealthy from a business venture. The Middle French root word is retirer, "to withdraw."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retirement retirements

"Pensions should be sacrosanct," Pilar, who is 64 and close to retirement, told AFP, declining to give her surname.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

Donald, who ended a two-year retirement to rejoin the Rams, is averaging just over 38 snaps a game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

Many aging grandparents say they are fortunate that grandchildren arrived while they are enjoying their retirement years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

He had moved to Mexico following his retirement in the US and then, as he spoke freely to the media before and after her 2018 wedding, the relationship went into the deep freeze.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

By 1957, most of the old union leaders had followed the Captain into retirement, and a new crop was eager to show their worth to the rank and file.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

But with the retirements of Beaumont and Knight, two of England's finest, head coach Charlotte Edwards is building towards next summer's Ashes with places up for grabs in the top order.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

If parents live into their 100s, heirs may not receive a meaningful inheritance until they are in their 60s or 70s, potentially after their own retirements have already begun.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

In addition, the retirements of aging high-priced veterans Christen Press and Ali Riley freed up space both on the roster and under the league’s $3.7-million salary cap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

You mentioned you want this money to be used for your grandkids’ retirements, but is there a specific age that you had in mind?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Misnar entered his tent in great state, and Horam alone followed the Sultan into the retirements of the movable pavilion.

From Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers by L. (Laura) Valentine

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Related Words

• evacuation
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