Synonyms

retain

American

[ri-tayn] / rɪˈteɪn /

verb (used with object)

to keep possession of.

Synonyms:

preserve, hold

Antonyms:

lose, loose
to continue to use, practice, etc..

to retain an old custom.
to continue to hold or have.

to retain a prisoner in custody; a cloth that retains its color.
to keep in mind; remember.

Antonyms:

forget
to hold in place or position.
to engage, especially by payment of a preliminary fee.

to retain a lawyer.
Medicine/Medical. to keep in the body, especially abnormally; fail to eliminate.

I was referred to a specialty clinic and they discovered that I was retaining urine.

retain British

/ rɪˈteɪn /

verb

to keep in one's possession
to be able to hold or contain

soil that retains water
(of a person) to be able to remember (information, facts, etc) without difficulty
to hold in position
to keep for one's future use, as by paying a retainer or nominal charge

to retain one's rooms for the holidays
law to engage the services of (a barrister) by payment of a preliminary fee
(in selling races) to buy back a winner that one owns when it is auctioned after the race
(of racehorse trainers) to pay an advance fee to (a jockey) so as to have prior or exclusive claims upon his services throughout the season

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See keep.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of retain

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English reteinen, from Old French retenir, from Latin retinēre “to hold back, hold fast,” equivalent to re- re- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre “to hold”

Explanation

Retain means to hold on to or keep. People who can retain a lot of information are often mistaken for geniuses, but really they just have very good memories. To retain is to keep or maintain, whether in mind, possession or a certain condition. If you have a great personal assistant, you'll probably want to retain him for as long as you can. If your body is retaining water you might look a little plump. The verbs restrain and detain sound similar, but they mean to keep something by force.

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Vocabulary lists containing retain

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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.

See Examples For:

retain retains retained retaining

Last month, administration officials said an announcement on TPS for Salvadorans would come “at the appropriate time” and that they would retain work authorization in the meantime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

The FAA's review board reached this conclusion about the software bug's safety "because pilots retain full control of the aircraft and the indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous."

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

The FAA panel, composed of various internal experts, arrived at the determination that “because pilots retain full control of the aircraft, the indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous,” the agency said Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Various AI systems retain more information about their users in order to help agents execute tasks with more context.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

The danger about being the best knight in the world was that if you were always being tested about it, the day was bound to come when you would fail to retain the title.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Sources at the club insist she retains their full backing and, while there is disappointment and acknowledgement that results have not been good enough, they believe Slegers can guide them in the right direction.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

While the brand retains partnerships with long-retired Jordan, plus Williams and Ronaldo - Woods ended his association in 2024.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Rodriguez insists Venezuela retains control of its oil.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Battery storage also allows utilities to rely more on renewable energy sources by making them more efficient: It retains excess energy from wind and solar power that can be used when those sources aren’t producing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The island, although only 8 miles above Conowingo Dam and about half a mile out from the Lancaster County shore, retains its primitive wildness.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

The particles also retained a consistent magnetic response when exposed to an external magnetic field.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

H&M said it worked with real models in 2025 to make "digital representations/twins of the models" who "themselves retained full control and ownership of their digital twin".

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Sweden and the United States retained second and third place for the fourth year running, followed by South Korea and Singapore.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Maybe I have retained my anti-establishment roots after all.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

Isidore, although he had heard the expression a number of times, retained only a dim notion as to its meaning.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Etsy is reaching more shoppers and retaining them, and the company is seeing growth even as the comparison boost from tariffs begins to fade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Poindexter has centered his campaign on strengthening unions, retaining healthcare benefits for retirees and injured workers and raising wages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

While the Premier League looks different to when De Zerbi left Brighton in 2024, the Italian has shown clear signs of adapting while retaining his tactical principles.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Instead, some people may experience pronounced signs of aging while also retaining biological traits that help protect against many of its harmful consequences.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

Ten thousand more teemed in the infield, lining up behind a small retaining fence about ten feet inside the track rail.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023