retention

[ri-ten-shuhn]

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.

retention

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• nonretention noun
• overretention noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of retention¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of retention¹

C14: from Latin retentiō , from retinēre to _retain

Example Sentences

Picking up his son is Aaron Rushworth, 36, who believes the move could help improve teacher retention.

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Prosecutors over time have found a range of motives behind the unlawful retention of sensitive documents, from hoarding mementos of government service to plans of selling secrets to foreign adversaries.

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The indictment charges Bolton with eight counts of transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information.

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Employers benefit from a skilled workforce, and some are offering repayment assistance as a recruiting and retention tool.

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Having two CEOs means boards can also solve thorny retention issues.

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When To Use

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.