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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
  • Despite his efforts to confuse the crime scene, Overton's DNA was found in separate tests conducted in 1996 and 1998, matching a bedding sample from the MacIvors' home.
    — CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Peacock Alley down duvets and Frette bedding provide cozy places to sleep, and seven of the eight rooms feature king beds.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of bed
Verb
  • Then the defense picked it up last week, picking off Justin Herbert twice (one was called back) and sacking him four times.
    — Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
  • When Ole Miss sacked Manning early in the second half and recovered his fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, there was a run on antacids at the concession stands.
    — Mac Engel October 25, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of sack
Verb
  • The man fell into a coma and succumbed to the disease on October 9, 2026, after life support was withdrawn.
    — Sahas Mehra, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026
  • As joyful crowds took to the streets to celebrate the students' victory on Sunday, some in the crowd stoned the withdrawing police and dismantled a camp used by Vucic loyalists in a park in central Belgrade for more than a year.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 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
  • Ernest couldn’t sleep, but lay awake on his mattress in the basement, figuring.
    — Madeline ffitch, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Bönan said the aim is to make visitors feel like guests in a prince’s house, much like the nobles and royals who were welcomed and slept under its grand ceilings.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of sleep
Verb
  • Meanwhile, On and Dior have also reportedly removed Chinese promotional content featuring Mbappé, although neither had announced a global termination, according to Chinese news outlet Phoenix.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026
  • That designation was removed last year by an outside counsel.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of remove

Phrases Containing retire

Browse Nearby Words

retinues
retire
retired
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Retire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retire. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All