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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Retire

/ɹɪˈtaɪə/ · verb

Meaning

(intransitive) To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness..

Definitions by Sense

  1. (intransitive) To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness.
  2. (intransitive, sports) To stop playing their sport and in competitions a sports player.
  3. (transitive, sometimes reflexive) To withdraw; to take away.
  4. (transitive) To cease use or production of something.
  5. (transitive) To withdraw from circulation, or from the market; to take up and pay.
  6. (transitive) To cause to retire; specifically, to designate as no longer qualified for active service; to place on the retired list.
  7. (intransitive, cricket, of a batsman) To voluntarily stop batting before being dismissed so that the next batsman can bat.
  8. (transitive, baseball, of a fielder) To make a play which results in a runner or the batter being out, either by means of a put out, fly out or strikeout. Also, when such an event ends a team's turn at bat.

Example Sentences

Having made a large fortune, he retired.
He wants to retire at 55.
She decided to retire from her banking job due to stress.
Green will never forget "that was the day I retired - the absolute crowning event of my life and I was very proud of that.
I have decided to retire from football at the end of the season after the World Cup.
I have decided to retire from test cricket at 45.
He […] retired himself, his wife, and children into a forest.
As when the sun is present all the year, / And never doth retire his golden ray.

Synonyms for retire

Antonyms for retire

Related Words

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does retire mean?

Retire means (intransitive) To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness..

What is a synonym for retire?

Common synonyms include retreat, withdraw, recede, put out.

What is the opposite of retire?

Possible antonyms include advance, rise, arise, pass on.

How do you use retire in a sentence?

Having made a large fortune, he retired.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.