retirement

Noun

retirement (countable and uncountable, plural retirements)

1. An act of retiring; withdrawal.
   • After dinner there was the peaceful pipe that Tulloch had forecast, and mutual reminiscences until the long clock in the corner, striking the smallest hour of the morning, prompted Tulloch to suggest retirement.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   departure, withdrawment

2. (uncountable) The state of being retired; seclusion.
   • The heir to the throne of Bogota […] had to undergo a rigorous training from his infancy: he lived in complete retirement in a temple, where he might not see the sun nor eat salt nor converse with a woman: he was surrounded by guards who observed his conduct and noted all his actions.1890, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 2, page 224

   Synonyms:

   privacy, seclusion, solitude

3. (archaic) A place of seclusion or privacy; a retreat.
   • When her mother frowned, and her friend looked cool, she would steal to this retirement, where human foot seldom trod […].1788, Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary: A Fiction
   • […] and chance had less in its favour in the crowd of London than even in the retirement of Barton […]1811, [Jane Austen], chapter X, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   retreat

4. The state of having permanently left one's employment, now especially at reaching pensionable age; the portion of one's life after retiring from one's career.
   • "I tried retirement ten years ago. Didn't think much of it. Complete waste of time. So I gave it up after two weeks."2021 November 3, Adrian Shooter talks to Paul Clifton, “A lifetime of railway achievements”, in RAIL, number 943, page 34
   • A.I. is described as the new electricity. It’s even bigger than fire. Don’t bother saving money for retirement because everyone will be rich rich rich.2026 February 21, David Streitfeld, “People Loved the Dot-Com Boom. The A.I. Boom, Not So Much.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
5. The act of leaving one's career or employment permanently.
   • The Chelsea captain was a virtual spectator as he was treated to his side's biggest win for almost two years as Stamford Bridge serenaded him with chants of "there's only one England captain," some 48 hours after he announced his retirement from international football.2012, Chelsea 6-0 Wolves