retire
verb (used without object)
to withdraw from one's career, occupation, or office, usually because of age.
was retiring
-
past progressiveof retire.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Working at a car garage aged 17, she was suddenly thrust an envelope to give money for a mechanic who was retiring.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“I feel like… years ago James Murphy asked us to play ‘SNL’ and said he was retiring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Canadian Pacific Kansas City reported lower second-quarter profit and said that its board chair Isabelle Courville was retiring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
This week, veteran National Public Radio reporter Nina Totenberg briefly published a story stating that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
What did matter, indeed struck most readers as the only thing that truly mattered, was that George Washington was retiring.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
