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)
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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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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:
That’s because it goes toward a collective fund so Americans who can no longer work and/or wish to retire have a source of income.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
People retire, have grandchildren, liquidate a family home or go from being robust to becoming, as the saying goes, medically interesting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
However, Kartal was forced to retire with the back injury which proved more serious than first thought.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
LOS ANGELES—Two years ago, Jake Bauers wanted to retire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
I thanked her for her considerate choice, and as I really felt fatigued with my long journey, expressed my readiness to retire.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
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
The naming of tropical storms and hurricanes is a job for the World Meteorological Organization, which rotates them out every six years and retires them after a given storm causes too much destruction.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
When the 70-year-old Dombrowski eventually retires, Fuld could be in line to become the overarching team president in charge of both baseball and business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
In a few years, when her older cousin retires, Justice will most likely take over the practice, a solid prospect, though far less lucrative, and less glamorous, than a partnership at her Lexington law firm.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
“We’ve been grinding all season long,” said right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who retired the first 10 Brewers in order, but lasted just one more inning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, Manchester United have struggled to get close to the success they enjoyed under the 26-year reign of the legendary Scot.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The letter's signatories came from throughout the military and included a handful of officers who retired during Trump's first term.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Here she writes of a persnickety English couple, freshly retired, who yearn to meet people with the same interests and standards as themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
All the house was still; for I believe all, except St. John and myself, were now retired to rest.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
American Express CMO Elizabeth Rutledge is retiring after 37 years with the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
I’m 68, thinking of retiring and looking for passive income.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
"After retiring, I don't have much opportunity to hang out with others," the 75-year-old, whose son lives two hours away from her, told the BBC.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Milwaukee sent a parade of four relievers to the mound for a second straight game Monday, and for a second straight game they didn’t give up a run, retiring the last 15 Dodgers in order.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Instead of coming back from Oxford after those twelve weeks, she’d stayed on to do a summer course, explaining that a professor she admired would be retiring after that.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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