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withdrawn; secluded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 To retire means "to stop working," but also "to retreat or withdraw," and in the 1500s, retired meant "separated or withdrawn from society."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.
Other supporters include former MPs, retired military and naval officers, human rights lawyers and union leaders.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
She registered as retired with the International Tennis Integrity Agency the next day.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
Among those not yet retired, 42% have less than $50,000 in retirement savings, the advocacy group for older adults said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
A search to fill one of those jobs is ongoing after the Atlanta Fed’s president retired at the end of February.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
One friend, a retired doctor, was positive: “These manifestations could not have been produced by human means … I have no doubt, they are, in my opinion, conclusive evidence of spirit identity.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
