retire
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
to withdraw from one's career, occupation, or office, usually because of age.
to retire at the age of sixty.
-
to withdraw, or go away or apart, to a place of privacy, shelter, or seclusion.
He retired to his study.
-
to go to bed.
He retired at midnight.
-
to fall back or retreat in an orderly fashion and according to plan, as from battle, an untenable position, danger, etc.
-
to withdraw or remove oneself.
After announcing the guests, the butler retired.
verb (used with object)
-
to withdraw from circulation by taking up and paying, as bonds, bills, etc.; redeem.
-
to withdraw or lead back (troops, ships, etc.), as from battle or danger; retreat.
-
to remove from active service or the usual field of activity, as an army officer or business executive.
-
to withdraw (a machine, ship, etc.) permanently from its normal service, usually for scrapping; take out of use.
-
Baseball, Cricket. to put out or end the offensive play of (a batter, runner, side, etc.).
The pitcher’s on fire, retiring the last five hitters with strikeouts.
With two runners stranded on base, the side is retired.
noun
-
a place of withdrawal; retreat.
a cool retire from summer's heat.
-
retirement or withdrawal, as from worldly matters or the company of others.
noun
plural
retirésverb
-
(also tr) to give up or to cause (a person) to give up his work, a post, etc, esp on reaching pensionable age (in Britain and Australia usually 65 for men, 60 for women)
-
to go away, as into seclusion, for recuperation, etc
-
to go to bed
-
to recede or disappear
the sun retired behind the clouds
-
to withdraw from a sporting contest, esp because of injury
-
(also tr) to pull back (troops, etc) from battle or an exposed position or (of troops, etc) to fall back
-
(tr)
-
to remove (bills, bonds, shares, etc) from circulation by taking them up and paying for them
-
to remove (money) from circulation
-
Related Words
See depart.
Other Word Forms
- retirer noun
Etymology
Origin of retire1
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French retirer “to withdraw, pull back,” equivalent to re- re- + tirer “to draw”
Origin of retiré2
< French, past participle of retirer to retire
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.
Manufacturers are losing lots of skilled, older workers as they retire, but they are not trying to replace them because of uncertainty about future sales.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
A fatal collision at LaGuardia Airport last week marked the start of a difficult period for Air Canada, culminating on Monday with its CEO announcing he will soon retire.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
The company said Rousseau had informed the airline’s board of directors of his plan to retire at the end of the third quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Meanwhile, there are questions swirling around when Cook, 65, will retire.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
She should therefore arrive some time in the morning; but as she cannot possibly get in before then, we are all about to retire early.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
