retire

See also: retiré

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

retire (plural retires)

1. (rare) The act of retiring, or the state of being retired; also, a place to which one retires.
2. (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.

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To withdraw; to take away; -- sometimes used reflexively.
   • 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.

2. (transitive) To withdraw from circulation, or from the market; to take up and pay; as, to retire bonds; to retire a note.

   The central bank retired those notes five years ago.

3. (transitive) To cause to retire; specifically, to designate as no longer qualified for active service; to place on the retired list; as, to retire a military or naval officer.

   The board retired the old major.

4. (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.

5. (transitive, baseball, of a fielder), to make a defensive play which results in a runner or the batter being put out

   Jones retired Smith 6-3.

6. (intransitive) To go back or return; to draw back or away; to keep aloof; to withdraw or retreat, as from observation; to go into privacy; as, to retire to his home; to retire from the world, or from notice.

   I will retire to the study.

7. (intransitive) To retreat from action or danger; to withdraw for safety or pleasure; as, to retire from battle.

   The regiment retired from the fray after the Major was killed.

8. (intransitive) To withdraw from a public station, from working, or from business

   Having made a large fortune, he retired.

   He wants to retire at 55.

9. (intransitive) To recede; to fall or bend back; as, the shore of the sea retires in bays and gulfs.

   Past the point, the shore retires into a sequence of coves.

10. (intransitive) To go to bed; as, he usually retires early.

    I will retire for the night.

Derived terms

• retiree
• retirement
• retirer
• (cricket): retire hurt

Translations

to go back or return

• Finnish: vetäytyä (fi)

• Portuguese: retirar-se

to retreat from action or danger

• Finnish: vetäytyä (fi)
• Icelandic: draga sig í hlé

• Maori: whakatahi
• Portuguese: retirar-se

to withdraw from a public station, from working, or from business

• Arabic: اعتزل (i3tázala)
• Catalan: jubilar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 退休 (zh) (tuìxiū), 引退 (zh) (yǐntuì), 退下 (zh) (tuìxià)

• Dutch: met pensioen gaan
• Finnish: jäädä eläkkeelle
• French: se retirer (fr)
• German: in Pension gehen, in Rente gehen, in den Ruhestand gehen
• Greek: συνταξιοδοτούμαι (el) (syntaxiodotoúmai)
• Hungarian: nyugdíjba megy (hu)
• Icelandic: setjast í helgan stein
• Irish: téigh ar scor
• Italian: ritirarsi (it)

• Japanese: 退職する (たいしょくする, taishoku-surú), 引退する (いんたいする, intai-surú)
• Korean: 퇴직하다 (ko) (toejik hada)
• Latin: abire
• Maori: tāoki
• Navajo: naanish yoołbįįh
• Polish: przejść na emeryturę
• Portuguese: aposentar-se
• Russian: выходить на пенсию (vyxodít' na pénsiju), выходить в отставку (vyxodít' v otstávku)
• Spanish: jubilar (es)
• Vietnamese: về hưu (vi), thôi việc
• Welsh: ymddeol (cy)

to recede

to go to bed

• Portuguese: ir dormir
• Scottish Gaelic: rach mu thàmh

Related terms

• tirer

Anagrams

• Terrie

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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

• étirer, étrier, itérer

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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

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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.