put out to pasture

From the practice of putting draft animals too old to work in a pasture.

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put out to pasture (third-person singular simple present puts out to pasture, present participle putting out to pasture, simple past and past participle put out to pasture)

1. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see put out,‎ to,‎ pasture.
2. (idiomatic) To make someone retire, especially due to advancing age.

   They've put John out to pasture and replaced him with someone who's got half his experience.

3. (idiomatic) To discontinue something.

   That version of the program has been put out to pasture.