IRA

1 of 2

noun

ˌī-(ˌ)är-ˈā  ˈī-rə 

plural IRAs

: a retirement savings account in which income taxes on certain deposits and on all gains are deferred until withdrawals are made

IRA

2 of 2

abbreviation

Irish Republican Army

Examples of IRA in a Sentence

Abbreviation

a representative of the IRA

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

These tax credits were added during the pandemic, extended by Congress through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, and are set to expire at the end of this year. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 10 Nov. 2025

Lord Louis Mountbatten was Prince Philip's beloved uncle, who was killed by an IRA bomb in 1979. —Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025

Here’s how rolling over to an IRA works. —Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025

Staged to look like a random mugging of a courier, the robbery was, in fact, a sophisticated heist that would ultimately involve the Provisional IRA, the New York mafia and the Colombian cartel. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

initialism from individual retirement account or individual retirement arrangement

First Known Use

Noun

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for IRA

• lyra
• spirogyra

Legal Definition

IRA

noun

ˌī-ˌär-ˈā, ˈī-rə 

: an account in which a person may deposit up to a stipulated amount each year and that is not taxable until retirement or early withdrawal

Note: Deposits to an IRA may not be completely or partially deductible from adjusted gross income if one's income exceeds a set level.

Etymology

Noun

individual retirement account