retirement
Americannoun
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retirements
plural
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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.
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the portion of a person's life during which a person is retired.
What will you do in retirement?
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a pension or other income on which a retired person lives.
His retirement is barely enough to pay the rent.
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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.
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removal of something from service or use.
retirement of the space shuttle fleet.
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withdrawal of a jury from a courtroom to deliberate in private on a verdict.
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orderly withdrawal of a military force, according to plan, without pressure from the enemy.
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withdrawal of securities from the market by a corporation, as through payment at maturity, repurchase, or exchange.
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withdrawal into privacy or seclusion.
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privacy or seclusion.
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a private or secluded place.
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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
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the act of retiring from one's work, office, etc
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( as modifier )
retirement age
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the period of being retired from work
she had many plans for her retirement
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seclusion from the world; privacy
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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
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 13–November 19, 2021
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 16
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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:
The opening partnership was one question that needed answering after Tammy Beaumont's retirement earlier this year, and a century apiece for Dunkley and Bouchier in this series has seen them take their chance.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
After a series of head-turning trades, signings and one legendary player’s return from retirement, the Rams and 10th-year coach Sean McVay are well beyond all-in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
There are roughly 61 million Americans over 65 already, and the youngest baby boomers won’t all reach traditional retirement age until around 2030.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam women's singles champion, coming out of retirement this summer sparked excitement among those who saw her in their prime and those too young to have witnessed it.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
“She was the smartest of all the girls,” Katherine Goble would say of her colleague, years into her own retirement.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
New recruits have yet to offset retirements, and courts across the state remain critically understaffed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Ms. Totenberg, 82, said she had been confused by an announcement from Chief Justice John Roberts about staff retirements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
As a family they had hoped the second home on the coast would be a place to bring their children and enjoy their retirements.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 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
It was of a nondescript flavour, commingling the negative qualities of “bully-beef stew” and the very positive taste of kerosene oil, the cooks’ hurricane lamps being stored in the camp-kettles during each of our retirements.
From The Black Watch A Record in Action by Joe Cassells
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.
