retirement
Americannoun
-
retirements
plural
-
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.
-
the portion of a person's life during which a person is retired.
What will you do in retirement?
-
a pension or other income on which a retired person lives.
His retirement is barely enough to pay the rent.
-
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.
-
removal of something from service or use.
retirement of the space shuttle fleet.
-
withdrawal of a jury from a courtroom to deliberate in private on a verdict.
-
orderly withdrawal of a military force, according to plan, without pressure from the enemy.
-
withdrawal of securities from the market by a corporation, as through payment at maturity, repurchase, or exchange.
-
withdrawal into privacy or seclusion.
-
privacy or seclusion.
-
a private or secluded place.
-
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
noun
-
-
the act of retiring from one's work, office, etc
-
( as modifier )
retirement age
-
-
the period of being retired from work
she had many plans for her retirement
-
seclusion from the world; privacy
-
the act of going away or retreating
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."
Vocabulary lists containing retirement
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 5
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 13–November 19, 2021
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 16
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
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.