retirement

1 of 2

noun

re·​tire·​ment ri-ˈtī(-ə)r-mənt 

1

a

: an act of retiring : the state of being retired

b

: withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from active working life

c

: the age at which one normally retires

reaches retirement in May

2

: a place of seclusion or privacy

retirement

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or designed for retired persons

Synonyms of retirement

Noun

• withdrawal
• retreat

Examples of retirement in a Sentence

Noun

She decided to take an early retirement.

Many fans were surprised by the champion's retirement.

The staff is smaller because of several retirements.

I'm looking forward to retirement.

He is ready for retirement.

He came out of retirement to play baseball again.

She has remained very active during retirement.

The staff all wished her a long and happy retirement.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Anyone born in 1960 or later must be 67 years old to be considered full retirement age, according to the Social Security Administration. — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026

Experts attribute that increase partly to issues such as rising healthcare costs, lagging Social Security benefits and insufficient retirement savings. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Adjective

For someone who may have to sort out post-retirement healthcare on their own, that's a powerful safety net, Long says. — Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026

In your audit, emergency reserves are separated from non-retirement assets because they should not ever be drained unless there is an emergency. — Cicely Jones, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1919, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing retirement

• come out of retirement
• individual retirement account
• pre-retirement
• retirement home
• retirement plan

Rhymes for retirement

• postretirement
• preretirement

Kids Definition

retirement

1 of 2 noun

re·​tire·​ment ri-ˈtī(ə)r-mənt 

: an act of retiring : the state of being retired

especially : the leaving of one's job permanently

retirement

2 of 2 adjective

: of, relating to, or made for retired persons

a retirement community