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Retire vs Cease - What's the difference?

retire | cease |

As verbs the difference between retire and cease

is that retire is while cease is (formal|intransitive) to stop.

retire

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (rare) The act of retiring, or the state of being retired; also, a place to which one retires.
  • (dated) A call sounded on a bugle, announcing to skirmishers that they are to retire, or fall back.
    • At the retire , the cavalry fell back.

    Verb

  • To withdraw; to take away; -- sometimes used reflexively.
  • * Sir Philip Sidney
    • He retired himself, his wife, and children into a forest.
  • * Sir J. Davies
    • As when the sun is present all the year, / And never doth retire his golden ray.
  • To withdraw from circulation, or from the market; to take up and pay; as, to retire bonds; to retire a note.
    • The central bank retired those notes five years ago.
  • To cause to retire; specifically, to designate as no longer qualified for active service; to place on the retired list; as, to retire a military or naval officer.
    • The board retired the old major.
  • (transitive, cricket, of a batsman) to voluntarily stop batting before being dismissed so that the next batsman can bat
    • Jones retired in favour of Smith.
  • (transitive, baseball, of a fielder), to make a defensive play which results in a runner or the batter being put out
    • Jones retired Smith 6-3.
  • To go back or return; to draw back or away; to keep aloof; to withdraw or retreat, as from observation; to go into privacy; as, to retire to his home; to retire from the world, or from notice.
    • I will retire to the study.''
  • To retreat from action or danger; to withdraw for safety or pleasure; as, to retire from battle.
    • The regiment retired from the fray after the Major was killed.
  • To withdraw from a public station, from working, or from business
    • Having made a large fortune, he retired .
    He wants to retire at 55.
  • To recede; to fall or bend back; as, the shore of the sea retires in bays and gulfs.
    • Past the point, the shore retires into a sequence of coves.
  • To go to bed; as, he usually retires early.
    • I will retire for the night.

    Derived terms

    * (l) * (l) * (l) * (cricket) (l)

    Related terms

    * (l)

    Anagrams

    * ----

    cease

    English

    Verb

    (ceas)
  • (formal) To stop.
    • And with that, his twitching ceased .
  • (formal) To stop doing (something).
    • And with that, he ceased twitching.
  • (obsolete) To be wanting; to fail; to pass away.
  • * Bible, Deuteronomy xv. 11
    • The poor shall never cease out of the land.