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)
-
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:
Jake Paul has said he will retire from boxing if he loses to MMA star Cedric Doumbe on 24 December in Dubai.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
That’s a minuscule fraction of the $1.2 million that Americans think they’ll need to retire comfortably, according to the asset-management firm Schroders.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Not to retire or pursue a passion project, but to hedge their company stock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Nine Dodgers became free agents at the conclusion of the postseason — although veteran infielder Miguel Rojas announced his intention to retire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Heavens, no. I’m going to sing jazz on the radio and make heaps of money. Then, when I’m thirty, I shall retire and live on a ranch in Ohio.”
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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
When Ed fully retires in about three years, he looks forward to having more time for tennis and might take on a leadership role in the community.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Once she retires, our combined pension income will be $345,000 a year before any withdrawals from our retirement accounts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Messi retires from Argentina duty with 'nothing left to give'
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
When he retires from Bowdoin he has taught every subject in the curriculum except mathematics.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
“I spent an hour there arguing with myself, dropped a deposit and tried to figure out how to buy it,” said Sprinkle, a 68-year-old retired union pipe fitter who lives in Indiana.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Thereafter, Pacheco came back to California, dabbled in stockbroking, and retired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
“This negative campaigning is so ugly,” said Shabana Siddiqi, a retired physician who’d initially liked Ramaswamy when he was running for president.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026
Cadmium is a carcinogen associated particularly with lung cancer, says Rob Chilcott, a retired professor of toxicology.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
She was a fine soul, and he’s—well, he’s a retired lawyer.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Maine’s right-leaning 2nd District is currently represented by Rep. Jared Golden, a conservative Democrat who’s retiring.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026
Another option would focus on safely retiring Hubble when its scientific work is complete, either by guiding it through a controlled descent into Earth's atmosphere or arranging for its disposal in orbit.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Most retirees — three in five — reported retiring earlier than age 65, with a median retirement age of 62, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Twenty years after retiring from football, Shearer sat down with Kelly Somers to discuss his love of Newcastle, almost continuing his managerial career and swapping the pitch for the commentary box.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Leon looked as if he hadn’t spent five minutes in the exercise room since retiring from pro basketball; all that remained of his NBA physique was his height.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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