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.
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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.
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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)
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to go away, as into seclusion, for recuperation, etc
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to go to bed
-
to recede or disappear
the sun retired behind the clouds
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to withdraw from a sporting contest, esp because of injury
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(also tr) to pull back (troops, etc) from battle or an exposed position or (of troops, etc) to fall back
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(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
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retiressimple
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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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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
Is $1 million enough money to retire on?
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
“Too disgusting, I had to retire to the vomitorium. Poor boy, actually seeing it—who can wonder? But in front of his father, and yours...What a blow to his pride!”
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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
There’s a cold shower to unwind, dinner of more protein and vegetables, and he eventually retires for the night at 10 p.m.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
And even when accounting for these people, Germany has an ageing population as the baby-boomer generation increasingly retires, and the nationwide birth rate stays stubbornly low.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
It’s not like Roli is ever going to step up when Papi retires.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
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
The Rylands, who live in Australia and never bought a new car until they retired, travel 20 weeks a year and spend an average of $40,000 annually.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 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
They were all painted by my grandfather when he retired.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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
Mamdani's picks unseated two sitting lawmakers and beating the hand-picked successor of a retiring congresswoman.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Flanagan will face former television sports reporter Michele Tofoya, a Republican, in November for the seat held by Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, who is retiring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Other times it’s getting married or having a kid or trying to foresee retiring one day.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Having got there, he collected two successive loads of stone and dragged them down to the windmill before retiring for the night.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
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.
