What does 退く mean?
退く is a Japanese verb meaning “to retreat, to recede, to withdraw” in English. It can also be translated as “to withdraw (from the presence of a superior), to resign” depending on context. It is written as 退く in kanji, どく in hiragana, and doku in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N3 vocabulary.
Example sentence
おじは去年教職を退いたが、それでも何とか大学での地位にしがみつこうとした。
My uncle retired from teaching last year, but he still managed to hang onto a position at the university.