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PlainSpell

retire

re·tire/ɹəˈtaɪɹ/verb, noun

retire is spelled R-E-T-I-R-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (re·tire). It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, retire means “To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in retire?

Letters6: R-E-T-I-R-E
Syllables2: re·tire
In writing11 times per million words; the 6,565th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is retire?

Retire appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,565th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce retire?

  • UK /ɹɪˈtaɪə/
  • US /ɹəˈtaɪɹ/

As a verb (“To fit (a vehicle) with new tires”): /ɹiˈtaɪɚ/.

Retire has 2 syllables, split re·tire in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-retire.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with retire?

11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as retire from its last stressed vowel (/aɪɹ/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: reiter.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of retire

  • retires present, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • retiring participle, present
  • retired participle, past
  • retyre

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does retire mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness.

    Having made a large fortune, he retired.

  2. 2

    To stop playing their sport and in competitions a sports player.

    I have decided to retire from football at the end of the season after the World Cup.

  3. 3

    To withdraw; to take away.

  4. 4

    To cease use or production of something.

    The steamship made thousands of trips over several decades before it was retired by the shipping company.

  5. 5

    To withdraw from circulation, or from the market; to take up and pay.

    The central bank retired those notes five years ago.

  6. 6

    To cause to retire; specifically, to designate as no longer qualified for active service; to place on the retired list.

    The board retired the old major.

  7. 7

    To voluntarily stop batting before being dismissed so that the next batsman can bat.

    Jones retired in favour of Smith.

  8. 8

    To make a play which results in a runner or the batter being out, either by means of a put out, fly out or strikeout. Also, when such an event ends a team's turn at bat.

    Jones retired Smith 6-3.

  9. 9

    USTo fit (a vehicle) with new tires.

noun

  1. 1

    rareThe act of retiring, or the state of being retired.

  2. 2

    A place to which one retires.

  3. 3

    datedA call sounded on a bugle, announcing to skirmishers that they are to retire, or fall back.

    At the retire, the cavalry fell back.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Retire in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchse retirer, prendre sa retraite (to stop working on permanent basis)
Germanin Pension gehen, in Rente gehen, in den Ruhestand gehen (to stop working on permanent basis), Karriere beenden (sports: sports player stop playing their sport…)
Portugueseaposentar-se, reformar-se (to stop working on permanent basis), retirar-se (to go back or return)
Spanishjubilar (to stop working on permanent basis), retirarse (sports: sports player stop playing their sport…), retirar (to withdraw; to take away)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does retire come from?

From Middle French retirer (“draw back”), from Old French retirer, built from re- (“back”) + tirer (“draw, pull”), the latter from Vulgar Latin *tīrāre, of highly uncertain origin.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after retire