retirement

American  

[ri-tahyuhr-muhnt] / rɪˈtaɪər mənt /

noun

1. the act of retiring or of leaving one's job, career, or occupation permanently, usually because of age.

   I'm looking forward to my retirement from teaching.

2. the portion of a person's life during which a person is retired.

   What will you do in retirement?

3. a pension or other income on which a retired person lives.

   His retirement is barely enough to pay the rent.

4. the act of retiring, withdrawing, or leaving; the state of being retired.

   After a competitive day on the golf course, she enjoys a quiet retirement to the residents' lounge.

5. removal of something from service or use.

   retirement of the space shuttle fleet.

6. withdrawal of a jury from a courtroom to deliberate in private on a verdict.

7. orderly withdrawal of a military force, according to plan, without pressure from the enemy.

8. withdrawal of securities from the market by a corporation, as through payment at maturity, repurchase, or exchange.

9. withdrawal into privacy or seclusion.

10. privacy or seclusion.

11. a private or secluded place.

12. Baseball, Cricket. the act or instance of the defense putting out or ending the offensive play of a batter, runner, side, etc.

    The retirement of the Brewers in the third inning came only after they scored six more runs.

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adjective

1. noting or pertaining to retirement.

   retirement pay.

retirement British  

/ rɪˈtaɪəmənt /

noun

1. 1. the act of retiring from one's work, office, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      retirement age

2. the period of being retired from work

   she had many plans for her retirement

3. seclusion from the world; privacy

4. the act of going away or retreating

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Other Word Forms

• nonretirement noun
• postretirement adjective
• preretirement adjective
• semiretirement noun

Etymology

Origin of retirement

First recorded in 1530–40; retire + -ment ( def. )

Example Sentences

Investors haven’t yet been spooked by geopolitical events when it comes to making contributions to retirement accounts, Fidelity said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Early retirement among workers 55 and older has been another factor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

When he announced his retirement on Tuesday morning, however, those final few months were already starting to fade away as Wales and the rest of the footballing world paid tribute.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

MarketWatch retirement reporter Jessica Hall has a helpful retirement-checkup checklist that spells out these additional contributions, and Fix My Portfolio columnist Beth Pinsker dug into the IRS rules around catch-ups for high earners.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

“Well, maybe you ought to think about retirement yourself,” said Slughorn bluntly.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• evacuation
• pullout
• withdrawal