retire
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rihtyrSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹɪˈtaɪɹ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
intransitive
To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness.
intransitivesports
To stop playing their sport and in competitions a sports player.
transitive
To cause to retire; specifically, to designate as no longer qualified for active service; to place on the retired list.
Withdraw from circulation or from the market, as of bills, shares, and bonds
transitive
To withdraw from circulation, or from the market; to take up and pay.
Pull back or move away or backward
noun
A place to which one retires.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness.
Used this way, retire is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It turns up most in medicine or healthcare contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Medicine/healthcare
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use retire
- “The director was retired after the scandal.”verb
- “She finally retired that old coat.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Someone who has retired from active working.
An association of people to promote the welfare of senior citizens.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Someone who has retired from active working.
A monthly payment made to someone who is retired from work.
A monthly payment made to someone who is retired from work.
A planned community for residents who have retired from an active working life.
A planned community for residents who have retired from an active working life.
A monthly payment made to someone who is retired from work.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.