retiree
Americannoun
-
retirees
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment could be between 3.2% and 3.6% in 2027, adding at least $67 a month to the average retiree benefit amid cooling inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
To pay for this, the district sought to raid its retiree health benefits fund.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
He was a sweet retiree who’d tell me about his weekly fishing adventures and close my garage whenever I was in a hurry and would forget.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The retiree added: "Shame on him for doing what he has done."
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 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
This usually happens when people structure their assets in ways that generate little or no taxable income, as retirees often do.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Leanne, 61, shares tips with fellow retirees on her Facebook page, SKIClub, which stands for “spending kids inheritance.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Any reform plan from a committee would still require lawmakers to cast a difficult vote exposing them to charges of overtaxing working Americans or stiffing retirees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The demographic shift could put pressure on pension systems and weaken the balance between working-age people and retirees.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
She served on 757s that did daily Orlando-to-Vegas trips for retirees looking to strike it rich.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
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.
