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

Derived Forms

• overretention
  noun
• nonretention
  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”; see 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

"Law enforcement agencies across the United States continue to face significant recruiting and retention challenges, and every vacancy affects our organization and the community we serve," the police chief added.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

In 2023, she negotiated a generous package of raises and retention bonuses backed by the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the rank-and-file officers’ union, while pushing for a larger police department.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

CNN said Bolton will plead guilty to one felony count of illegal retention of sensitive national security information, which carries a sentence of up to 60 months in prison.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Jurisdiction Again, make sure the VPN provider isn’t based in a country with mandatory data retention laws or one that has signed up to international data-sharing agreements.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

Heather has stopped eating and complains about fluid retention.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson