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
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Recent Examples of retain
Modern lizards and snakes share this feature, while the tuatara has retained the older condition of a complete bar, making its skull stronger but less mobile.
—
New Atlas, 15 Sep. 2025
Eleven of Europe’s 12 players who will look to retain their 2023 title at Bethpage Black were playing at Wentworth’s West Course this weekend and enjoyed a meal together on Tuesday night.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
According to a stipulation posted on the city website, Campbell failed to retain original copies of campaign literature distributed by her campaign.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Add 2 inches of organic mulch around the base to retain moisture.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retain
New Atlas, 15 Sep. 2025
Eleven of Europe’s 12 players who will look to retain their 2023 title at Bethpage Black were playing at Wentworth’s West Course this weekend and enjoyed a meal together on Tuesday night.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
According to a stipulation posted on the city website, Campbell failed to retain original copies of campaign literature distributed by her campaign.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Add 2 inches of organic mulch around the base to retain moisture.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retain
Verb
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Eyes Shop your favorite category or keep scrolling for the year's very best mascaras, brow gels, and eye-shadow palettes.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Adding flip-flops kept it less serious.—
Libby Page,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The sensor handles up to 70Gs of acceleration and has a sensitivity of up to 30,000 dots per inch (DPI).—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
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The remaining 10 analysts have a hold equivalent rating.—
Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The workers could be employed only by King and only for up to 10 months at a time.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
13 Sep. 2025
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Instead of using a single bulky lens, the camera employs a thin mask embedded with dozens of tiny lenslets, each capturing a unique perspective of the same object.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Lift the wiper arms gently and make sure they're held firmly in place.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
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And the timing of Williams’ recent improvement may represent a good sign for the Yankees, who are still holding onto a glimmer of hope of winning the AL East while attempting to secure the first wild-card spot and homefield advantage.—
Larry Fleisher,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The deal will make Thailand the sixth Southeast Asian nation to possess submarines, with Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, according to Asian Military Review.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Also in the suit is a chart that lists five brokers that allegedly controlled 6,345 Ticketmaster accounts and possessed 246,407 concert tickets to 2,594 events.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the state is working ahead to recruit more teachers as more families enroll in the program.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
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Officials said colleges should use their own resources to recruit high school students from underrepresented backgrounds, rather than relying on federal funding to do so.—
Silas Allen
September 16,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism.—
Tom Murphy,
Arkansas Online,
12 Sep. 2025
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Some Cosmists saw technology as destructive and transformative, while others believed its role should be to protect and preserve.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This landed Ellison, who owns more than 40% of shares, at the top of the Forbes Billionaires List, second only to his good friend, Elon Musk.—
Martine Paris,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Growing up in southwest Nebraska, Villareal owned a horse aptly named Bronco.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retain. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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