retirement

retirement — noun

1. the decision to leave your job for good, usually when you reach an age at which

1.nounB1
Definition

the decision to leave your job for good, usually when you reach an age at which you no longer need to work

Example

Aarav announced his retirement at the board meeting yesterday.

announce + retirement (collocation)

After thirty years of teaching, Mrs. Chen began to plan for her retirement.

plan for + retirement (collocation)

Common collocations
  • announce retirement
  • plan for retirement
  • take retirement
  • early retirement
  • mandatory retirement
  • retirement from
Synonyms
  • resignation

    voluntarily leaving a job, but not necessarily because of age; can happen at any point in a career

  • withdrawal

    formal term for leaving a position or activity; broader scope (can include politics, sports)

Antonyms
  • employment

    the state of having a paid job, which retirement ends

Grammar Patterns

retirement from + place of work

early / mandatory / voluntary retirement

Usage Note

retirement names the event or concept; use the verb retire to describe the action itself — e.g., 'He retired last year' (not 'He retirement last year').

Common Mistakes

I will do retirement next year.
I will retire next year.
Use the verb form retire, not the noun retirement, after modal verbs like will, can, or should.

2. the years that follow after you leave your job, often seen as a time when you ca

2.nounB1
Definition

the years that follow after you leave your job, often seen as a time when you can rest, travel, or do things you enjoy

Example

In retirement, Ezra spends his mornings gardening and his afternoons reading.

in retirement (prepositional phrase for time span)

The couple moved to a small town by the sea to enjoy their retirement.

enjoy + retirement (common verb collocation)

Common collocations
  • in retirement
  • during retirement
  • enjoy retirement
  • spend retirement
  • into retirement
Synonyms
  • post-work life

    more descriptive but less common; focuses on lifestyle rather than formal status

  • golden years

    idiomatic, informal, carries a positive connotation of leisure and happiness

Antonyms
  • working life

    the period of a person's life spent in paid employment

Grammar Patterns

in / during / into + retirement

enjoy + retirement

Usage Note

Often preceded by prepositions that indicate time span: in retirement, during retirement, into retirement, throughout retirement.

Common Mistakes

I am in retirement age.
I am of retirement age.' or 'I have reached retirement age.
Use of or reach with age, not in.

3. the process of permanently taking a machine, system, or product out of use, espe

3.nounB2
Definition

the process of permanently taking a machine, system, or product out of use, especially one that has been in service for many years

Example

The retirement of the old railway line came after decades of service.

retirement of + [thing] (pattern for equipment)

Engineers announced the retirement of the factory's original steam engine.

Common collocations
  • retirement of
  • retirement from service
  • planned retirement
  • forced retirement
Synonyms
  • decommissioning

    used especially for military equipment, ships, or nuclear plants; implies a formal, planned process

  • phase-out

    gradual ending of use over a period rather than a single event

Antonyms
  • commissioning

    the formal process of putting equipment or a system into active use

Grammar Patterns

retirement of + [equipment / system]

retirement from service

Usage Note

Used for large-scale or long-serving equipment, vehicles (planes, trains), software, or infrastructure. Not typically used for everyday household items like a toaster or a lamp.

Common Mistakes

We celebrated the retirement of our old microwave.
We finally replaced our old microwave.
retirement for equipment sounds too formal for small household appliances.

retirement — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe leaving a job, but they differ in who initiates the decision and under what circumstances. Retirement is when someone chooses or is required to stop working due to age or length of service, often with a pension. Resignation is a personal, voluntary decision to leave a job at any age, typically by giving notice. Redundancy (favoured in British English) occurs when an employer eliminates a role because the position is no longer needed. A layoff (favoured in American English) happens when an employer temporarily or permanently dismisses workers, often due to financial reasons, not because of the worker's performance. For example: "After forty years at the factory, Tunde's retirement was celebrated by everyone." "She handed in her resignation because she found a better opportunity." "The company announced twenty redundancies after the merger." "The factory laid off 200 workers during the economic downturn."

retirement ↗resignation ↗redundancylayoff

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • retirement from
  • retirement of

Prepositions

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Retirement comes from the French verb retirer, meaning 'to draw back,' formed from re- ('back') and tirer ('to draw' or 'to pull'). It entered English in the 16th century with the general meaning of 'withdrawal' or 'retreat.' By the early 19th century, as formal pensions and fixed retirement ages became common during the Industrial Revolution, the word took on its modern sense of permanently leaving one's job.