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withdrawn; secluded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 To retire means "to stop working," but also "to retreat or withdraw," and in the 1500s, retired meant "separated or withdrawn from society."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.
He retired in December 2024 at 59 and now runs a business taking aerial photography from helicopters in remote locations around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
They formed an unlikely alliance with Abe Connally, a retired computer programmer and Democrat who had already mapped 25 Flock cameras in the county.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Former world number one doubles player and six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Joe Salisbury has retired from professional tennis.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
However, two retired officers, each of whom has dealt with space security, disagree.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
She stamped on it, just to be safe, and retired to the porch.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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.
