1
as in to keep
to continue to have in one's possession or power
I plan to retain the family heirlooms until my own children are mature enough to appreciate them, and then I will lovingly pass them on
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to have
to keep, control, or experience as one's own
that author retains the right to veto any changes in his books suggested by his publisher's notoriously intrusive editor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to employ
to provide with a paying job
her neighbor retained her as a nanny for the summer, thus giving her something to do until school started again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of retain
The Knicks can also retain Hukporti and P.J. Tucker by exercising team options.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 3 June 2025
Universities doing research could attract and retain the best talent, which wouldn’t be satisfied just teaching undergraduates.
—Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025
According to the California Library Association, summer reading programs help children and teens retain and enhance their reading skills over the summer and benefit adults by stimulating the brain, increasing vocabulary and sparking imagination.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 3 June 2025
Employers must retain personnel records and ADS data, including inputs, outputs, and data used to develop or customize the system, for at least four years.
—Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for retain
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 3 June 2025
Universities doing research could attract and retain the best talent, which wouldn’t be satisfied just teaching undergraduates.
—Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025
According to the California Library Association, summer reading programs help children and teens retain and enhance their reading skills over the summer and benefit adults by stimulating the brain, increasing vocabulary and sparking imagination.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 3 June 2025
Employers must retain personnel records and ADS data, including inputs, outputs, and data used to develop or customize the system, for at least four years.
—Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for retain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retain
Verb
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Then, use your human connection skills to foster collaboration, resolve conflict, and keep people aligned, motivated, and moving forward. Adaptability.—
William Arruda,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
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Grateful for their progress and will continue to keep them in our prayers.—
Peter Aitken
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, the court claimed Hugh Lovell had no belongings available to confiscate.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
6 June 2025
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At 18, Neave already has a League Cup winners’ medal, despite having yet to make a first-team appearance.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Becker and colleagues employed a Pavlov-like research design to figure out whether people can decouple the sensation of pain from the experience of that pain.—
Peter Ubel,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Instead, Lloyd employed a bare stage and an ensemble of actors dressed all in black.—
Jenelle Riley,
Variety,
9 June 2025
Verb
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Toothless holds his own alongside Hiccup, even as the actor appears in what look more like sets than bona fide locations.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
9 June 2025
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Qasem Hassan held her hand, which was trembling, and wrote out a prescription for her.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Verb
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No monarch ever actually possessed a divine touch (or donkey ears), but historical records indicate at least two men with the name Midas oversaw the Phrygian kingdom during the first millennium BCE.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
12 June 2025
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The Solar Orbiter observations also revealed that while the equator of the sun, where the most sunspots appear, possesses the strongest magnetic fields, those at the poles of our star have a complex and ever-changing structure.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Among them was a marathon sectional championship game against Lincoln-Way Central and Florida State recruit Lisabella Dimitrijevic.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2025
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The filmmaker hatched the idea after reading an article about gay rehabilitation centers and recruited Brian Wayne Peterson to write the script.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2025
Verb
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Wash linen sheets every one to two weeks using a gentle cycle and cool to lukewarm water to preserve the fibers and prevent shrinkage.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
13 June 2025
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The investment money is used to help create or preserve U.S. jobs.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Jesse Cole, along with his wife Emily, owns the Bananas.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
7 June 2025
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Associations’ assets are all jointly owned by their unit-owner members.—
Michael L. Hyman,
Miami Herald,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retain. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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