retire

verb

ri-ˈtī(-ə)r How to pronounce retire (audio)
Definition of retirenext
1
as in to bed
to go to one's bed in order to sleep I'm exhausted, so I think I'll retire for the evening

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to sack
to let go from office, service, or employment as a part of its restructuring, the company has begun to retire its older employees

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to withdraw
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) the insurgents have retired to the outskirts of the city, but appear to be readying themselves for another offensive

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of retire The new OpenBSD also retires support for Loongson architecture after the port stopped working with the Clang 22 compiler. — Nick Indge, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026 Shortly thereafter, in 1999, Gibson retired after 29 years of teaching at MTSU. — The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Von Detten largely retired from acting around 2010, later transitioning into sales and financial services. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026 The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to appoint Undersheriff Eric Palmberg to succeed Sheriff Jeff Leikauf, who is retiring in December. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for retire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retire
  1. bed
  2. sack
  3. withdraw
  4. settle
  5. dismiss
  6. retreat
  7. sleep
  8. remove
Verb
  • In addition to women’s lifestyle apparel, the brand does kidswear and home, including a bedding assortment and such tabletop items as napkins, tablecloths, runners and place mats.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Travel Light Be prepared to move; if a buck is chasing does around the bedding area on the opposite ridge, figure out a way to get over there and set up when things quiet down.
    — Colin Moore, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bed
Verb
  • He has been sacked 17 times in six games, but the blame really should be on the coach for having a poor game plan.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • One of those critical situations was TCU’s last offensive play of the game, when Craig was strip-sacked.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sack
Verb
  • On Monday, Chinese manufacturer Kepuni Holdings withdrew plans for a Nasdaq listing that had been expected to raise $15 million.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • He was educated at Middlebury College, and lived in New York City for 15 years, before settling back on the farm with his wife, Olga, and their children, Fiona and Abraham.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Remember, parents with kids this age are also the ones that are still living with their mom and dad, have to have coloring books and fidget toys at work to settle their nerves and focus and flat out refuse to grow up.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of settle
Verb
  • Ben-Gvir dismisses concerns that such policies would cement Israel’s status as a pariah state.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Lower courts had dismissed the case because Asian American students were not underrepresented at the magnet schools compared with the pool of students that applied.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismiss
Verb
  • Longtime collaborator Erik Blood foregrounds Butler’s dry drum machines in the mix, letting every other element shuffle around them, snaking toward the spotlight for a brief moment and retreating back into the brume.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • If broadcaster partnerships are helping Netflix expand its offering in Europe and Latin America, India shows why the streamer is unlikely to retreat from investing in local originals.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of retreat
Verb
  • Just one day earlier, he was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in his left calf and ordered by doctors to stay awake overnight, according to NFL insiders, who report the quarterback did not sleep for roughly 36 hours.
    — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • As a result, your mind is always searching for the next project to tackle or problem to solve, distracting you while hanging out with family or keeping you from sleeping.
    — Melody Wilding, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of sleep
Verb
  • The full court reheard the case in January 2024, and in October 2024 ruled 9-8 that the NLRB had no power to order the tweet removed, citing the First Amendment.
    — Heather Occhino, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, according to a USFWS spokesperson, around 30 million lbs of invasive carp are removed from Midwestern waters each year.
    — Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of remove

Phrases Containing retire

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retinues
retire
retired
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Cite this Entry

“Retire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retire. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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