German word

pensionieren

Pronunciation

IPA/pɛnzi̯oˈniːʁən/

Meaning

  • verbretire

Example

Die Firma pensionierte gestern den Mitarbeiter.

The company retired the employee yesterday.

Illustration for pensionieren (retire)

More examples

Die Firma hat ihn vorzeitig pensioniert.

The company has retired him early.

Core concept

An official decision replaces an employee's regular work with financial support in later life.

Common phrases

  • jemanden pensionieren

    retire someone

  • vorzeitig pensionieren

    retire someone early

  • auf Antrag pensionieren

    retire someone upon request

Similar words

in den Ruhestand versetzen: Remove an employee from work at a set age or under official rules and provide a pension.
in Rente schicken: Make someone stop working and live on a pension.
entlassen: End an employee's contract and dismiss them from the workplace.
kündigen: End an employment contract by decision of the employee or the company.

Definition in German

durch eine Entscheidung jemanden aus dem Dienst entlassen und ihm Pension gewähren

Word origin

The verb derives from German Pension, a loanword ultimately based on Latin pensio for a payment, combined with the productive verb-forming suffix -ieren.

Usage tips

  • English retire often describes the person's own departure, but German pensionieren usually describes an institution retiring someone; self-retirement is often expressed with in den Ruhestand gehen.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word