retire

See also: retiré

English

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɹəˈtaɪ.ə(ɹ)/
  • Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From Middle French retirer (“draw back”), from prefix re- (“back”), + verb tirer (“draw, pull”), from Old French tirer, tirier (“to draw out, arrange, adorn”), from tire, tiere (“row, rank, order, dress”) of Germanic origin akin to Old English and Old Saxon tīr (“fame, glory, ornament”), Old English tīer (“rank, row”), Old High German ziari, zēri (“ornament”), German Zier (“ornament, adornment”), German zieren (“to adorn”). More at tier.

Verb

retire (third-person singular simple present retires, present participle retiring, simple past and past participle retired)

  1. (intransitive) To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness.
    Having made a large fortune, he retired.
    He wants to retire at 55.
  2. (transitive, sometimes reflexive) To withdraw; to take away.
    • Sir Philip Sidney
      He […] retired himself, his wife, and children into a forest.
    • Sir J. Davies
      As when the sun is present all the year, / And never doth retire his golden ray.
  3. (transitive) To cease use or production of something
    The steamship made thousands of trips over several decades before it was retired by the shipping company
  4. (transitive) To withdraw from circulation, or from the market; to take up and pay
    The central bank retired those notes five years ago.
  5. (transitive) To cause to retire; specifically, to designate as no longer qualified for active service; to place on the retired list
    The board retired the old major.
  6. (transitive, cricket, of a batsman) To voluntarily stop batting before being dismissed so that the next batsman can bat
    Jones retired in favour of Smith.
  7. (transitive, baseball, of a fielder) To make a play which results in a runner or the batter being out, either by means of a put out, fly out or strikeout
    Jones retired Smith 6-3.
  8. (intransitive) To go back or return; to withdraw or retreat, especially from public view; to go into privacy
    I will retire to the study.
    to retire from the world
    to retire from the public eye
  9. (intransitive) To retreat from action or danger; to withdraw for safety or pleasure
    to retire from battle
    The regiment retired from the fray after the Major was killed.
  10. (intransitive) To recede; to fall or bend back
    Past the point, the shore retires into a sequence of coves.
  11. (intransitive) To go to bed.
    I will retire for the night.

Noun

retire (plural retires)

  1. (rare) The act of retiring, or the state of being retired
  2. a place to which one retires.
  3. (dated) A call sounded on a bugle, announcing to skirmishers that they are to retire, or fall back.
    At the retire, the cavalry fell back.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

re- +‎ tire

Alternative forms

Verb

retire (third-person singular simple present retires, present participle retiring, simple past and past participle retired)

  1. (transitive) To fit (a vehicle) with new tires.

Anagrams

French

Verb

retire

  1. first-person singular present indicative of retirer
  2. third-person singular present indicative of retirer
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of retirer
  4. third-person singular present subjunctive of retirer
  5. second-person singular imperative of retirer

Anagrams

Portuguese

Verb

retire

  1. first-person singular present subjunctive of retirar
  2. third-person singular present subjunctive of retirar
  3. first-person singular imperative of retirar
  4. third-person singular imperative of retirar

Spanish

Verb

retire

  1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of retirar.
  2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of retirar.
  3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of retirar.
  4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of retirar.
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