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.
Where tall canopy trees were retained or the cleared patches were small, common understory species such as acacia dominated.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 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
First Minister John Swinney, during a visit to the site in Angus, said it would help ensure "benefits of the energy transition are retained in Scotland".
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Maybe I have retained my anti-establishment roots after all.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Fischer had not only retained his title as United States Champion, he’d accomplished something unprecedented: For the third year in a row, he’d marched to the title without being defeated in any of the pairings.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
