# retire

Pronunciation: US say "ri-TYR" /ɹəˈtaɪɹ/; UK say "ri-TY-uh" /ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ)/; AUS

## Verb

1. To permanently stop working, typically because of old age or illness.
   - Simple: To stop working for good, usually because you are old or unwell.
   - _Most teachers in the district retire around the age of sixty._
   - _He retired from the firm after forty years of service._
2. To permanently stop competing in a sport, especially as a professional athlete.
   - Simple: To stop playing a sport for good as a professional player.
   - _She retired from competitive swimming following the Olympics._
   - _Many gymnasts retire while still in their twenties._
3. To go to bed, especially for the night.
   - Simple: To go to bed at the end of the day.
   - _After the long journey, they retired early._
   - _She likes to retire with a good book._
4. To go back or withdraw, especially from public view, going into privacy.
   - Simple: To move away from others into a private or quiet place.
   - _The author retired from public life after his last novel._
   - _Guests may retire to the lounge after the meal._
5. To permanently stop using or producing something.
   - Simple: To stop using or making something for good.
   - _The airline retired its oldest jets last year._
   - _Engineers plan to retire the aging reactor by 2030._
6. To fall back from a fight or from danger, or to go off to a place of safety or leisure.
   - Simple: To move back from danger, or to go somewhere safer and calmer.
   - _Under heavy fire, the regiment began to retire toward the river._
   - _Each summer they retired to a quiet lakeside cottage._
7. To cause someone to retire; specifically, to designate a person as no longer qualified for active service and place them on the retired list.
   - Simple: To officially declare someone no longer fit for active duty or work.
   - _The board retired the general with full honors._
   - _Regulations allow the service to retire personnel deemed medically unfit._
8. To withdraw something from circulation or the market, especially by paying off a debt or bond.
   - Simple: To take money or bonds out of use by paying them off.
   - _The treasury retired the bonds at maturity._
   - _Companies often retire shares to boost their value._
9. To withdraw something or take it away.
   - Simple: To take something away or move it back.
   - _He retired his offer once the terms changed._
   - _The steward moved to retire the soiled linens._
10. In baseball, to put out a batter or runner, or to end the opposing team's turn at bat by doing so.
   - Simple: In baseball, to get a batter or runner out.
   - _The closer retired the final batter to seal the win._
   - _A pitcher who can retire dangerous hitters keeps the game close._
11. In cricket, to voluntarily stop batting before being dismissed, allowing the next batsman to come in.
   - Simple: In cricket, to choose to stop batting before getting out so a teammate can bat.
   - _The captain chose to retire once the lead was safe._
   - _He retired hurt after taking a blow to the helmet._
12. To recede, or to fall or bend back from a line or surface.
   - Simple: To slope or curve backward, away from the front.
   - _Beyond the porch, the walls retire to form a shallow alcove._
   - _The shoreline retired as the tide pulled away._
14. To replace a vehicle's old tires with a new set. *(US)* (pronounced: US say "ree-TYR" /ˌɹiˈtaɪɚ/; UK say "ree-TY-uh" /ˌɹiːˈtaɪə(ɹ)/)
   - Simple: To put new tires on a car or other vehicle.
   - _The mechanic retired the sedan with snow tires ahead of winter._
   - _We need to retire the trailer before hauling the load, since two of its tires are bald._

## Noun

13. A place to which one withdraws for privacy or rest.
   - Simple: A quiet place where someone goes to be alone or to rest.
   - _The old cottage served as a peaceful retire from city life._
   - _Travelers sought a sheltered retire among the hills._

## Noun

15. The act of withdrawing from work or active life, or the state of having done so; retirement. *(rare)*
   - Simple: The act of stopping work for good, or the state of being retired.
   - _The general's retire was announced in the morning papers._
   - _She welcomed her retire after decades of labor._
16. A bugle call signaling skirmishers to withdraw or fall back. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A bugle call telling soldiers to fall back.
   - _The retire echoed across the field, and the men began to pull back._
   - _When the retire sounded, every skirmisher turned for the rear._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–13, 15–16** — From Middle French retirer ("draw back"), from Old French retirer, built from re- ("back") plus tirer ("draw, pull"); tirer comes from Vulgar Latin *tīrāre, whose origin is highly uncertain.
**Meaning 14** — Formed from the prefix re- combined with tire.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/retire (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).