retirement

American  

[ri-tahyuhr-muhnt] / rɪˈtaɪər mənt /

noun

retirements plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• retirements
  plural

Etymology

Origin of retirement

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

Explanation

Retirement is when someone stops working, usually after many years, to take a break or start a new occupation. In order to consider retirement, a worker must usually have saved enough money to stop working. This most commonly happens after years at a job, and retirement is often a cause of celebration. Sometimes, as in "early retirement," a much younger person is able to stop working for pay — in some cases, because she's become wealthy from a business venture. The Middle French root word is retirer, "to withdraw."

Example Sentences

Australia’s retirement system requires employers to contribute 12% of employees’ pay into a retirement plan.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026

Yet, each match also brings us closer to the retirement of Argentine football's greatest icon: the national team captain, Messi.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026

The accounts, which were created as part of last year’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation, are similar to individual retirement accounts for children under age 18.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026

"Imagine where that money could have gone. It could have gone into retirement planning, it could have gone into funding for future plans, things like children," she said.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

Years after his retirement, Terry still lived in a state of numbed formality—impeccably dressed, remotely servile, never asserting himself in any way, at least that I would see.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• evacuation
• pullout
• withdrawal