1
as in kept
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 owned
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 employed
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 retained
Andy Rose, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
What To Know Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced on Tuesday that he has been retained by Reed's family and will undertake an independent investigation into the student's death.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Reed's family has retained national civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump to represent them.
—Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2025
With some technologies acquired by SAP are wholly consumed into the company’s underbelly, SuccessFactors has retained its original identity and dovetails well with the company’s ERP suite of business function software.
—Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Canales retained Evero in 2024 with the thought that the defensive coordinator would essentially be the head coach of the defense.
—Mike Kaye
september 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
The new company retained the Six Flags name.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
WellChild is a patronage that Harry retained following his step back from his royal role, and he is expected to make a speech and present an award at the charity's awards ceremony on Monday.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Some participants retained many donor strains, others very few.
—New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Family members of Reed retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, his office announced Tuesday.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
What To Know Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced on Tuesday that he has been retained by Reed's family and will undertake an independent investigation into the student's death.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Reed's family has retained national civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump to represent them.
—Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2025
With some technologies acquired by SAP are wholly consumed into the company’s underbelly, SuccessFactors has retained its original identity and dovetails well with the company’s ERP suite of business function software.
—Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Canales retained Evero in 2024 with the thought that the defensive coordinator would essentially be the head coach of the defense.
—Mike Kaye
september 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
The new company retained the Six Flags name.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
WellChild is a patronage that Harry retained following his step back from his royal role, and he is expected to make a speech and present an award at the charity's awards ceremony on Monday.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Some participants retained many donor strains, others very few.
—New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retained
Verb
-
Adding flip-flops kept it less serious.—
Libby Page,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
-
For the second year in a row, this gritty paste has kept our lips softer, smoother, and flake-freer than any of its peers.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Since August 2000, Lakeside has been owned by Universal Health Services, a for-profit corporation that operates hundreds of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities, in addition to psychiatric hospitals, and made $16 billion in revenues last year.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
22 Sep. 2025
-
The two brands were once owned by Trinity, as was Gieves & Hawkes, which is now owned by Frasers Group.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To conquer the competition, Flyjets has employed a two-prong strategy encompassing a marketplace and an exchange.—
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
More than 19,000 people are employed by the bank in the Charlotte region, part of 213,000 workers across its company.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Nun pops out of a wall, a demon appears on a bed, crosses start to spin, a possessed figure scampers across the ceiling and a man with an axe cornered me in a random closet.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Sep. 2025
-
As possessed people speak in foreign tongues and violence rises, Ahmed fears regaining memory, while the disciple fears his master’s decline may unleash an ancient evil.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.—
Daniel S. Levine,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
At the time, Syed and his loved ones, who strongly believed in his innocence, had little hope that his conviction would be overturned.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Wenatchee Police Department Decker, whom his ex-wife described to authorities as homeless and experiencing mental health issues, had a planned visitation with their daughters a few days before their bodies were found.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In 2022, the Sun Sentinel reported former Pembroke Park Police Chief David Howard had hired several officers who were fired or forced out of their old jobs.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
-
In addition, OpenAI has reportedly hired two dozen of Apple's former consumer hardware employees to assist with the devices.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Such secondary craters are rarely preserved on Earth, making Silverpit especially valuable.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Sep. 2025
-
The building was originally completed in 1926, and the hotel’s designers incorporated new and preserved old elements from that era, like the warm terrazzo floors, curved windows and archways, and marble surfaces.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
21 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retained. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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