retain

[ ri-teyn ]

/ rɪˈteɪn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR retain ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to keep possession of.

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.

to hold in place or position.

to engage, especially by payment of a preliminary fee: to retain a lawyer.

Words nearby retain

retail, retail politics, retail price index, retail therapy, retailing, retain, retained earnings, retained income, retained menstruation, retained object, retained object complement

Origin of retain

1350–1400; Middle English reteinen < Old French retenir < Latin retinēre to hold back, hold fast, equivalent to re- re- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold

SYNONYMS FOR retain

1 hold, preserve. See keep.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR retain ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR retain

1 loose, lose.

4 forget.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR retain ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM retain

re·tain·a·ble, adjectivere·tain·a·bil·i·ty, re·tain·a·ble·ness, nounre·tain·ment, nounnon·re·tain·a·ble, adjective

non·re·tain·ment, nounun·re·tain·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·tained, adjectiveun·re·tain·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for retain

And despite the good scholarship the authors have managed to retain the buoyancy and upbeat air attendant on most comics.
The Best Coffee Table Books of 2014|Robert Birnbaum|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now both breweries are fighting to retain their half of the cake.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Canada and the United States are the only industrialized countries that retain birthright citizenship.
Get Ready to Start Hearing About ‘Executive Amnesty for Anchor Babies’|Eleanor Clift|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rohrabacher though did retain the bottle for official use in his Washington, D.C. office.
Meditation Rugs, Swords, and Horse Head Fiddles: The Strangest Gifts Given to Government Bigwigs|Ben Jacobs|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

First they must retain and work to expand their share of older voters.
How Old People Will Decide Your Future|Stuart Stevens|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Let stand until morning in a warm place or in a covered bread pan well wrapped to retain the heat.
Civic League Cook Book|Anonymous
Mrs. Bowse's boarders and his hall bedroom had helped him to retain some hold over actual existence.
T. Tembarom|Frances Hodgson Burnett
Some nobles made terms whereby they were allowed to retain their estates, but the majority of them opposed the conquerors.
A History of Spain|Charles E. Chapman
Grotait's cheek reddened with anger at this rebuff, and it cost him an effort to retain his friendly intentions.
Put Yourself in His Place|Charles Reade
I rejoiceas I told the senate when they offered me four million sestercesto serve Csar and retain my poverty.
Darkness and Dawn|Frederic W. Farrar

British Dictionary definitions for retain

retain

/ (rɪˈteɪn) /

verb (tr)

to keep in one's possession

to be able to hold or containsoil 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 chargeto 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

Derived forms of retain

retainable, adjectiveretainment, noun

Word Origin for retain

C14: from Old French retenir, from Latin retinēre to hold back, from re- + tenēre to hold

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

retain

verb (used with object)

Words related to retain

Words nearby retain

Origin of retain

SYNONYMS FOR retain

ANTONYMS FOR retain

OTHER WORDS FROM retain

Examples from the Web for retain

British Dictionary definitions for retain

verb (tr)

Derived forms of retain

Word Origin for retain