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Showing results for retained. Search instead for Pertained.
Synonyms

retained

American  
[ri-teynd] / rɪˈteɪnd /

adjective

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. (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.

  4. 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.

  5. kept in check or held in place; held back.

    On completion of the dam, the retained water was diverted for irrigation via two canals.

  6. 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

  1. the simple past tense and past participle of retain.

Other Word Forms

  • unretained adjective

Etymology

Origin of retained

retain ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )

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.

The victim retained an Indian phone number after moving to Canada.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

It’s for the best, in the long run, that the Ethics Committee appears to have retained control over these cases amid the ongoing call for blood.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026

They were eventually told by a local Palestinian official that Subaih's body was being retained by the IDF, the crew member said.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Paramount retained outside legal counsel to investigate Cipriani’s allegations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Despite living in town a full ten years she retained the look of a farmer’s wife: stout, faded, and wind worn.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

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.