retinue
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- retinued adjective
- unretinued adjective
Etymology
Origin of retinue
1325–75; Middle English retinue < Middle French, noun use of feminine past participle of retenir to retain
Explanation
A retinue is a group of people that accompany an important person. If you're a king or queen, you can think of a retinue as your royal crew or posse. Retinue shares a root with retain. This fact can help you remember the word. If you hire someone to help you out while you travel, you are retaining their services. When their services are retained, they become part of your retinue. The Secret Service could be thought of as the U.S. President's retinue. Another example: A celebrity's retinue might include a hair dresser, a personal assistant, and a toy poodle.
Vocabulary lists containing retinue
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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.
"For astronomers, our go-to 'Doppler' method for weighing planets involves making careful measurements of the star's velocity as it's tugged by its retinue of planets." said Erik Petigura, a co-author from UCLA.
From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2026
They were served by a cosmopolitan retinue: Sri Lankan singers, Arab managers, European chefs and always Afghan workers in a multitude of indispensable roles.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
At the table behind that sat former New York Times opinion editor James Bennet, slender and suited, with his own lawyerly retinue.
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2025
He pointed out that the monarch had also been behaving erratically in his public life, sacking several senior officials in his retinue.
From BBC • Mar. 1, 2025
She demanded, “He shall not die in that chamber. Philosophers require a whole retinue of devils for their removal from this world. They are the grandees of the infernal kingdom.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
