Definitions

retire

[ri-tahyuhr] / rɪˈtaɪər /

VERB

leave a place or responsibility

Synonyms

STRONGEST

depart go pull out relinquish remove retreat separate surrender withdraw

STRONG

decamp ebb exit part recede regress repeal rescind resign revoke rusticate secede yield

WEAK

absent oneself deny oneself draw back fall back get away get off give ground give up work give way go away go to bed go to one's room go to sleep hand over hit the sack leave service make vacant pull back run along seclude oneself sever connections stop working take off turn in

Antonyms

STRONGEST

advance continue remain stay

STRONG

approve arrive come in increase join

WEAK

begin enter

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Retire and rehire" schemes are designed to retain experienced officers who leave to access their pension.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Appeared in the February 21, 2026, print edition as 'Microsoft’s Head of Gaming to Retire In Shake-Up as the Division Stumbles'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

In the Help Me Retire column, Alessandra Malito helped a 56-year-old reader who wondered if he could afford to retire at age 62.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 23, 2026

This week in the Help Me Retire column, Alessandra Malito answered questions from a 57-year-old with plenty saved up in two retirement accounts but high monthly payments on $94,000 in debt.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026

Retire, father; this is no business for monks: I will meet this presumptuous man myself.

From Shorter Novels, Eighteenth Century The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia; The Castle of Otranto, a Gothic Story; Vathek, an Arabian Tale by Beckford, William

Vocabulary lists containing retire

"Of Mice and Men"

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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 1–January 7, 2022

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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 17–April 23, 2021

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