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👴 To stop working 💸 To remove from use 🚶 To withdraw 🚪 To remove from job 🛏️ To go to bed ⚾ To end a turn
to retire

to retire

24 3.8
Move away from people to a quieter place
  • verb
  • /rɪˈtaɪər/
: retirarse
  • You may now retire to reach your decision.
  • quiet and retired

And then Jesus retires with his apostles.

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Examples

  • After the parade, the participants retired to the village hall to listen to speeches.

    Academic text (2001)

  • She retired to her room, turned to the wall...

    Black Gold (2011)

  • Will the jury please retire to the jury room?

    Till (2022)

  • - Should we retire into the study ?

    Finding Neverland (2004)

  • The jury will now retire.

    Find Me Guilty (2006)

  • I must beg you to retire.

    The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

  • Around midnight, they left, and the rest of the household retired for the night.

    Academic text (1993)

  • I'm retiring to my country estate outside Philadelphia.

    The Front Page (1974)

  • The night drew on; the wind lessened; one by one, the passengers retired to their cabins.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • After a long day, she decided to retire to her favorite reading nook to relax.

Synonyms

to leave
vsto retire
∞ 1.0

To go away from a place, person, or group

specifies moving to a private quiet place rather than general departure or exit
to go away
vsto retire
926 1.0

To leave a place or person and go somewhere else

highlights leaving for privacy and quiet rather than simple departure
to walk away
vsto retire
876 3.5

Leave a person, place, or situation without taking part anymore

carries the idea of going to a private quiet place rather than detachment alone
to pull back
vsto retire
320 3.4

To move yourself and things backward from a place, person, or situation

means moving away for privacy or quiet rather than simply stepping back physically
to withdraw
vsto retire
311 2.8

To stop taking part in a place or activity

emphasizes moving to a private quiet place rather than general reduced involvement
to pull out
vsto retire
228 3.4

To stop being involved in an activity or agreement

involves leaving to a private quiet place rather than just quitting a duty
to retreat
vsto retire
225 4.0

To move back from a place or plan to avoid danger

is about leaving specifically to a private quiet place rather than escaping danger
to depart
vsto retire
170 1.3

To leave a place to start a journey

involves withdrawing to a private quiet place rather than beginning travel
to pull away
vsto retire
153 3.5

To move away from people or a place to create space

is about going to a private quiet place rather than merely creating distance
to get away
vsto retire
125 3.2

To go away from work or home to rest and relax

focuses on moving to a private quiet place rather than leisure or holiday reasons
to draw back
vsto retire
42 4.1

To move backwards away from something because of fear or surprise

is a voluntary move to a quiet private place rather than a fearful reaction
to retreat from
vsto retire
29 4.4

To move back from a place or activity to avoid danger and trouble

is focused on moving to a private quiet place rather than only escaping trouble
to bow out
vsto retire
24 4.9

To stop doing a job or role politely

denotes moving to a private quiet place rather than focusing on polite exit

Antonyms

to join
∞ 1.0

Become a member of a group or take part in its activities

to engage
804 3.4

To take part in an activity

How Withdrawn

to seclude
4 6.7
to retreat
225 4.0
to retire
24 3.8
to withdraw
311 2.8
to step back
93 3.6

Surface Forms

retire infinitive
retired past
retired past participle
retiring present participle
retires third person singular

Morphology

retire = tire (semi-transparent) = re + tire

This sense ('withdraw to a private place') aligns closely with the core idea of 'drawing back/withdrawing', so learners who see 're-' may infer a leaving/withdrawing meaning even if 'tire' is not transparent.

Etymology

Retire comes from the parts re- 'back' and tract 'pull' (think tractor), so it originally meant 'to pull back'. That is why to retire from a place is to move away or withdraw to a quieter or safer spot.