pasture out
C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To tell someone they are too old to keep working and should retire, like sending an old horse to a field.
Literal meaning: To send an animal out to graze in a pasture when it is too old to work.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
informal
To retire or remove a person or animal from active service because they are considered too old or unproductive.
"After thirty years on the job, management hinted it was time to pasture him out."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
A shortened or back-formed version of the idiom 'put out to pasture'. Relatively rare as a standalone phrasal verb. Slightly dismissive or humorous in tone. More commonly encountered in agricultural contexts for animals.
Commonly used with
horse athlete employee veteran machine politician
Forms
Base
pasture out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
pastures out
he/she/it
Past simple
pastured out
yesterday
Past participle
pastured out
have + pp
-ing form
pasturing out
continuous
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