retain
Americanverb (used with object)
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to keep possession of.
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to continue to use, practice, etc..
to retain an old custom.
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to continue to hold or have.
to retain a prisoner in custody; a cloth that retains its color.
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to keep in mind; remember.
- Antonyms:
- forget
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to hold in place or position.
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to engage, especially by payment of a preliminary fee.
to retain a lawyer.
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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.
verb
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to keep in one's possession
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to be able to hold or contain
soil that retains water
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(of a person) to be able to remember (information, facts, etc) without difficulty
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to hold in position
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to keep for one's future use, as by paying a retainer or nominal charge
to retain one's rooms for the holidays
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law to engage the services of (a barrister) by payment of a preliminary fee
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(in selling races) to buy back a winner that one owns when it is auctioned after the race
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(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
Synonym Usage
See keep.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonretainmentnoun
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retainabilitynoun
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retainablenessnoun
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retainmentnoun
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nonretainableadjective
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retainableadjective
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unretainableadjective
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unretainingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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retainsimple
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retainssimple
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have retainedperfect
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has retainedperfect
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am retainingprogressive
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are retainingprogressive
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is retainingprogressive
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have been retainingperfect progressive
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has been retainingperfect progressive
Past
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retainedsimple
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had retainedperfect
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was retainingprogressive
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were retainingprogressive
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had been retainingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing retain
The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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Out of My Mind
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List 1
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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:
Whether you retain a financial adviser or not, you have presumably developed a better understanding of managing money responsibly.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
With chip shortages likely into the medium term, KB Financial’s Kim expects Samsung and SK Hynix to retain robust pricing power because of their technological edge, strong balance sheets and dominant market share.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Some people who cannot move or communicate may still retain conscious brain activity, making reliable detection methods potentially important for diagnosis, treatment, and decisions about medical care.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
There was no such uncertainty this offseason, as Chesney moved to quickly retain Iamaleava.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
You must be careful to retain control at all times.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
But Infantino still retains support and he could try to hold out until March, when he is up for re-election for a fourth and final term as president.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Until then, the bank remains on the sidelines, retains its hold rating and lowers its stock target price to 40 pence from 45 pence, reflecting higher cash-interest costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Under these conditions, the magma retains silver-to-copper ratios that resemble those found in the mantle.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Instead of returning full land ownership, Havana is proposing 99-year concessions for surface property rights while the state retains the land underneath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
It retains the right to secede at will.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
That retained warmth can push night‑time temperatures in urban centres up to 7C higher than the surrounding countryside.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
She has retained her regal hauteur and formidable sang froid, the same qualities that made her such a sensation on the British stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster, "The Odyssey," retained the top spot at the North American box office in its second week, taking in an additional $87 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
An ancestor first lost its paired eyes after becoming largely inactive, retained a simple central eye, and later used parts of that structure to build a new and more advanced visual system.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
The only aspect of the rejuvenation that Miss Trixie had apparently retained was the teeth; they gleamed between her thin lips as they knifed into the cookies.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Traore saw himself as a "big ball of clay" that Jones could mould, and the coach says he was "like a sponge" in terms of retaining information.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Iran is engaging with the proposal but is still insisting on retaining control over the strait, including collecting fees, the officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
There’s a balance every politician must strike: retaining one’s authenticity while remaining open to recalibrating policy positions in response to new evidence or simply evolving, or to match shifts in the public mood.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Amazing Brands is retaining all the employees and corporate staff currently with the company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
My teachers broke it down for her more than once: “Wes is a nice boy, but he has real problems retaining information.”
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
