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Prepositions after verbs

Retire from, retire to or retire in?

Use retire from for leaving work, retire to for moving to a place or withdrawing, and retire in mainly for time or place expressions.

Quick answer

How do from, to, and in work with retire?

Retire from means stop working in a job or field. Retire to means go to a place after retirement or withdraw to a private place. Retire in is not a common fixed pattern, though in may describe time or location.

She retired from teaching last year.
They retired to a small village.
He retired to his study after dinner.
Many workers retire in their sixties.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
retire from + job

Leaving a profession

Use retire from for ending a career or position.

He retired from the army.
She retired from public service.
2
retire to + place

Moving after retirement

Use retire to for the place where someone goes after retiring.

The couple retired to Spain.
3
retire to + private place

Withdrawing privately

Retire to can also mean going somewhere quiet or private.

The guests retired to the lounge.
4
retire in + time or place

Using in separately

In may describe a period or location, not a fixed retire pattern.

Many athletes retire in their thirties.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
retire from
She retired from banking.
leave a profession or role
retire to
They retired to the countryside.
move or withdraw to a place
retire in
He retired in 2022.
in expresses time here
retire in + profession
She retired in medicine.
unnatural for professions; use retired from medicine

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using retire to for jobs

Use retire from with professions or positions.

✕ He retired to teaching. ✓ He retired from teaching.

Using retire from for destinations

Use retire to for places.

✕ They retired from Florida. ✓ They retired to Florida.

Confusing fixed patterns with time expressions

In often refers to time after retire.

✕ She retired in the company. ✓ She retired from the company.

Using retire in for professions

Retire in is not the normal pattern for fields of work.

✕ He retired in law. ✓ He retired from law.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. She retired ___ journalism after 30 years.
2. After retirement, they moved and retired ___ Portugal.
3. He retired ___ 2021.

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Frequently asked questions

What does retire from mean?

It means to stop working in a profession, role, or organisation.

What does retire to mean?

It can mean moving somewhere after retirement or withdrawing to a private place.

Is retire in correct?

Yes, when in refers to time or location, such as retire in 2025. It is not usually used for professions.

radiate-from-into-around-to, with "raise in" or "raise by"? rake in, through, across, at or over? rally in, around, to, behind or on? "rape by" or "rape in"? ratify by, in, on, according or as? ravage by, from, on, through or with? rave about, at, from, to or before? reach for, by, at, to or into? react to, with, in, by or like? read about, in, on, through or for? "realize in", "realize at" or "realize by"?

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