retire

[ri-tahyuhr]

See more synonyms for retire on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), re·tired, re·tir·ing.

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 withdraw from office, business, or active life, usually because of age: to retire at the age of sixty.

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), re·tired, re·tir·ing.

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.
Sports. to put out (a batter, side, etc.).

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.

Origin of retire

1525–35; < Middle French retirer to withdraw, equivalent to re- re- + tirer to draw

Related formsre·tir·er, noun

Synonyms for retire

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

5. leave, withdraw.

Synonym study

5. See depart.

retiré

[French ruh-tee-rey]

noun, plural re·ti·rés

[French ruh-tee-rey] /French rə tiˈreɪ/. Ballet.

a movement in which the dancer brings one foot to the knee of the supporting leg and then returns it to the fifth position.

Origin of retiré

< French, past participle of retirer to retire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for retire

relinquish, depart, separate, remove, withdraw, go, surrender, retreat, revoke, ebb, recede, resign, secede, part, exit, yield, regress, decamp, repeal, rescind

Examples from the Web for retire

Contemporary Examples of retire

Expect the couple to find another mansion in a safe Democratic district where an aging representative is expected to retire.
The Rise and Fall of Chris Hughes and Sean Eldridge, America’s Worst Gay Power Couple
James Kirchick
December 9, 2014
And when asked whether he worries about Studio Ghibli after he and Takahata retire, Miyazaki is frank.
Anime King Hayao Miyazaki’s Cursed Dreams
Melissa Leon
December 2, 2014
As Raimondo tells it, most public sector workers in the state were able to retire at age 55 with 80 percent of their pay.
Meet Gina Raimondo, the Only Democratic Star of 2014
David Freedlander
November 6, 2014
But “he was so shocked by the disorganization and lack of seriousness that he submitted his papers to retire.”
The CIA’s Wrong: Arming Rebels Works
Christopher Dickey
October 19, 2014
Quashing rumors that the White House had pushed her out, Powell told the press that she'd been planning to retire for months.
Meet America’s New Top Ebola Fighter
Abby Haglage
September 26, 2014

Historical Examples of retire

The prayer concluded, Mr Clayton coldly requested me to retire.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
Mr. Gladstone said that the policy of the Government was to "rescue and retire."
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
I must be permitted to retire to my apartment whenever he comes.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
But they thus became involved in bad ground and had to retire.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
The sungar was a regular trap, and the company were ordered to retire.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for retire

retire

verb (mainly intr)

(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 disappearthe 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)
1. to remove (bills, bonds, shares, etc) from circulation by taking them up and paying for them
2. to remove (money) from circulation

Derived Formsretirer, noun

Word Origin for retire

C16: from French retirer, from Old French re- + tirer to pull, draw

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for retire

1530s, of armies, "to retreat," from Middle French retirer "to withdraw (something)," from re- "back" (see re-) + Old French tirer "to draw" (see tirade). Related: Retired; retiring.

Meaning "to withdraw" to some place, especially for the sake of privacy, is recorded from 1530s; sense of "leave an occupation" first attested 1640s (implied in retirement). Meaning "to leave company and go to bed" is from 1660s. Transitive sense is from 1540s, originally "withdraw, lead back" (troops, etc.); meaning "to remove from active service" is from 1680s. Baseball sense of "to put out" is recorded from 1874.