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Synonyms

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.


adjective

  1. noting or pertaining to retirement.

    retirement pay.

retirement British  
/ rɪˈtaɪəmənt /

noun

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

    2. ( as modifier )

      retirement age

  1. the period of being retired from work

    she had many plans for her retirement

  2. seclusion from the world; privacy

  3. the act of going away or retreating

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing retirement

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:

She credits Most Valuable Promotions co-founders Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul with helping transform both her career and the wider sport, saying she was close to retirement before joining the promotion.

From BBC Aug. 21, 2026

The partnership has a combined initial commitment of up to $2.72 billion and reflects private capital firms’ growing interest in the U.K. retirement market.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 21, 2026

The Sparks opened a three-game homestand and the first since Ogwumike’s retirement announcement with a crushing 124-88 loss to the Atlanta Dream.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 21, 2026

The 35-year-old resumed a job he gave up four years ago following the retirement of Ben Stokes.

From BBC Aug. 21, 2026

Adams had spent most of his retirement years denouncing such contrivances as gross distortions of history.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Their job is to invest assets to secure teachers’ retirements.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 19, 2026

New recruits have yet to offset retirements, and courts across the state remain critically understaffed.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 10, 2026

House delegation will experience high turnover come 2027, as a spate of retirements, redistricting-related changes and competitive races have the potential to remake the state’s footprint in Washington.

From Salon Jul. 24, 2026

If this benefit cut occurs, workers will need longer, not shorter, careers to shore up their retirements.

From MarketWatch Jul. 17, 2026

All my slighted duties, cold retirements, and small returns for love unselfish even unto death, I cast into the abyss of His mercy.

From All the Days of My Life: An Autobiography The Red Leaves of a Human Heart by Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

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