retire

verb re·tire \ ri-ˈtī(-ə)r \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: retire in a Sentence

Definition of retire

retired; retiring

intransitive verb

1 : to withdraw from action or danger : retreat

2 : to withdraw especially for privacy

retired to her room

3 : to move back : recede

4 : to withdraw from one's position or occupation : conclude one's working or professional career

5 : to go to bed

transitive verb

1 : withdraw: such as

a : to march (a military force) away from the enemy

b : to withdraw from circulation or from the market : recall

retire a bond

c : to withdraw from usual use or service

2 : to cause to retire from one's position or occupation

3 a : to put out (a batter) in baseball

b : to cause (a side) to end a turn at bat in baseball

4 : to win permanent possession of (something, such as a trophy)

5 : to pay in full : settle

retire a debt

See retire defined for English-language learners

See retire defined for kids

Examples of retire in a Sentence

I want to be healthy when I retire.
She had to retire during the first set because of a muscle strain.
The Navy is retiring the old battleship.
The manufacturer plans to retire that car model in a few years.
The team is retiring his jersey number in honor of his great career.

Recent Examples of retire from the Web

In July 1971, during a routine visit to Pakistan, National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger feigned illness and retired to his hotel room to recover.

— andrew preston, The New Republic, "Will Trump Be Nixon in China?," 11 June 2018
The storm was so fierce and destructive the name was retired.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Remembering when Tropical Storm Allison flooded Houston," 11 June 2018
Dear Mediator: When our division director retired, his deputy stepped up as interim.

— steven p. dinkin, sandiegouniontribune.com, "The passed-over interim and the outside hire," 10 June 2018
Until then, though, Richard worked his way through the Marlins' lineup, retiring one batter after another.

— clark spencer, miamiherald, "Marlins nearly land on wrong side of major league history in loss to Padres," 10 June 2018
President Trump has nominated Rossie D. Alston Jr. to be a district court judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, moving to fill a vacancy created in November when judge Gerald Bruce Lee retired.

— rachel weiner, Washington Post, "Rossie Alston nominated as judge for Eastern District of Virginia," 9 June 2018
Montini headed to the bottom of the seventh leading 15-8, with reliever Alyssa Dilday (6-4) retiring three straight batters.

— rick armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Knockout punch: Kaneland puts Montini ‘on the ropes’ before losing in state championship game," 9 June 2018
So over the two previous years, Anderson hired a number of senior administrators in part to prepare for Harris eventually leaving (although the 41-year-old Harris certainly would be a prime candidate to return when Anderson, 64, retires).

— jeff metcalfe, azcentral, "ASU finishes 2017-18 on the rise in AD Ray Anderson's fourth year," 8 June 2018
For many of today’s working women, that means when they’re retired or dead.

— emily stewart, Vox, "Women are running for office in record numbers. In corporate America, they’re losing ground.," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'retire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of retire

Middle French retirer, from re- + tirer to draw

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1533

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

retire Synonyms

Phrases

give ground, give way, lose ground;

RETIRE Defined for English Language Learners

retire

verb

Definition of retire for English Language Learners

: to stop a job or career because you have reached the age when you are not allowed to work anymore or do not need or want to work anymore
: to cause (someone, such as a military officer) to end a job or career
: to stop playing in a game, competition, etc., especially because of injury