retention

American  

[ri-ten-shuhn] / rɪˈtɛn ʃən /

noun

1. the act of retaining.

2. the state of being retained.

3. the power to retain; capacity for retaining.

4. the act or power of remembering things; memory.

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retention British  

/ rɪˈtɛnʃən /

noun

1. the act of retaining or state of being retained

2. the capacity to hold or retain liquid

3. the capacity to remember

4. pathol the abnormal holding within the body of urine, faeces, etc, that are normally excreted

5. commerce a sum of money owed to a contractor but not paid for an agreed period as a safeguard against any faults found in the work carried out

6. (plural) accounting profits earned by a company but not distributed as dividends; retained earnings

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Usage

What is retention? Retention is the act of retaining, that is, holding onto or keeping possession of something, as in Kim noted the plant’s successful retention of water. Retention is also used to refer to the state of being retained or having the power to retain something, as in The lawyer was outraged by the police’s continued retention of his client. Retention can also mean that something or someone has the power to retain things, especially a person’s ability to retain information in their memory, as in Weekly testing is done to improve students’ retention of what they have learned. Example: Justine worked hard to improve the retention of skilled employees at her company.

Other Word Forms

• nonretention noun
• overretention noun

Etymology

Origin of retention

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English retencion, from Latin retentiōn-, stem of retentiō “restraint, withholding,” from retent(us) “held back” (past participle of retinēre “to hold back”; retain ) + -iō -ion

Explanation

You can use retention to mean the ability to keep or hold. If you have extraordinary powers of retention, you remember everything you hear or learn. Are your ankles ever swollen after a long flight? This comes from the lack of movement which can cause the retention of water. The roots of the word, Latin re- "back" and tenere "to hold," say it all. You often use the word in the military or business contexts to talk about keeping soldiers, or employees, from leaving. If you're lucky, they might offer you a retention bonus to prevent you from quitting.

Example Sentences

If the raise results in better teacher retention, then the district and students also would benefit — provided that the increase is affordable.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

This leads to excess salt and water retention, raising blood pressure and making it difficult to control.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Issuing equity that takes years to vest proved useful for retention.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, a jurisdiction that does not have mandatory data retention laws and is well outside the Five/Nine/Fourteen Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

Sheep and alpacas were selected for retention of wool and reduction or loss of hair, while cows have been selected for high milk yields.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond