retained
Americanadjective
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not lost, destroyed, released, sold, or given away; kept.
The vendor overvalued both the sold 1,790 acres and the retained 566 acres of Green Meadows.
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kept in use or practice; continued or preserved.
We are proud of the retained traditions of entrepreneurship of our ancestors, their respectful and careful attitude to land and craft.
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(of something perceived or learned) remembered or kept in mind.
They get taught it in basic training, but without constant practice, land navigation is not a retained skill for the average soldier.
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engaged for service, often by payment of a preliminary fee.
To apply for this opportunity in confidence, send your resume and remuneration details to the retained consultants, Kirk & Paulson Consulting Ltd., for an initial interview.
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kept in check or held in place; held back.
On completion of the dam, the retained water was diverted for irrigation via two canals.
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Medicine/Medical. kept in the body, especially abnormally; not expelled or eliminated.
Three weeks after delivery I was back in the hospital, seriously ill and having a D&C to remove a retained placenta.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of retained
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For EFL clubs, that raises questions over how long their best youngsters can realistically be retained.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The Brewers are the small-market overachievers, who somehow have retained their little-engine-that-could persona despite owning the best regular-season record in baseball last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Expansion and straightening cause water to drain away into the North Sea and Baltic Sea even faster, rather than being retained in the surrounding area."
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
The same Spencer Stuart recruiter who brought Masino to Cracker Barrel was also retained to find her replacement, according to people familiar with the search.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The result is that we have retained a nuance of meaning that the unfortunate Britons have lost.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
