retiree
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of retiree
Explanation
A retiree is a person who has permanently stopped working. Florida is famous for being a state where many retirees live. That's why Florida has so many golf courses (and nursing homes). Most retirees are 65 or older — they've worked their whole lives, and when they retire, or cease working, they're taking a well-deserved break. Many older people continue to work, instead of becoming retirees. The word retiree comes from retire, which first meant "to retreat," and later "to withdraw to a private place." The suffix -ee is often used in legal terms to mean "initiator of an action."
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.
For Zhou, the retiree, the scene in the movie where Captain von Trapp plays guitar and sings “Edelweiss” to his seven children has always left her with feelings of warmth and tranquility.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Jaime Quiroga, a 75-year-old retiree, combed La Paz's main market for food on Tuesday but many stalls were closed.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
Since all three groups have similar Social Security income and spend a similar amount on cost-sharing and uncovered services, the pattern simply reflects high retiree health-insurance premiums.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Overall, the district continues to struggle with declining enrollment and looming pressures to close schools, as well as long-term pension and retiree benefit obligations.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
Colin watched in a lock-jawed silence as Hassan furiously stabbed at his breakfast, and later as Hassan slammed the mini-recorder down on the coffee table of some factory retiree who was old-but-not-old-enough-for-the-nursing home.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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.
