1
as in servants
a person hired to perform household or personal services
knights being dressed for battle by their retainers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in employees
one who works for another for wages or a salary
lifelong civil service retainers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of retainers
How To Improve Your Soil's Moisture Retention A short-term solution for small areas or containers with hydrophobic soil is a commercial wetting agent, often called water retainers or penetrants.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Wearing a night guard can help support better sleep, healthier teeth and reduced jaw discomfort and custom retainers help maintain alignment and protect your smile.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Regulars get the same attendant from visit to visit and treat them like family retainers.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2026
Most of the contracts are retainers — with the lobbying firms receiving an equal payment each quarter.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Domestically, Roosevelt’s progressive reforms—breaking up dozens of monopolies, modifying railroad rates, setting aside public lands for conservation—cut against the long run of industrial oligarchy enjoyed by assorted oil, timber, and coal kings in collusion with their congressional retainers.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
Old Hamlet’s retainers acquired crumbling public housing estates turning out occupants enabling them to build showy apartments for cash buyers.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Or, Wu suggested, instead of opting for clear plastic aligners, a person could get metal braces or retainers.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Avoiding flat retainers and aligning SOWs to key outcomes will be highly respected by an investor who has operational expertise.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Wearing a night guard can help support better sleep, healthier teeth and reduced jaw discomfort and custom retainers help maintain alignment and protect your smile.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Regulars get the same attendant from visit to visit and treat them like family retainers.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2026
Most of the contracts are retainers — with the lobbying firms receiving an equal payment each quarter.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Domestically, Roosevelt’s progressive reforms—breaking up dozens of monopolies, modifying railroad rates, setting aside public lands for conservation—cut against the long run of industrial oligarchy enjoyed by assorted oil, timber, and coal kings in collusion with their congressional retainers.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
Old Hamlet’s retainers acquired crumbling public housing estates turning out occupants enabling them to build showy apartments for cash buyers.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Or, Wu suggested, instead of opting for clear plastic aligners, a person could get metal braces or retainers.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Avoiding flat retainers and aligning SOWs to key outcomes will be highly respected by an investor who has operational expertise.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retainers
Noun
-
In 2011, the teenage prince, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, arrived at USC with a small army of servants for an undergrad filled with luxury Lakers suites, exotic cars and a full-time residence at the Beverly Wilshire hotel.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
Chunhyang tried to get a message to him through servants, but the messages never reached him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Sources close to SkyShowtime said Paramount’s WBD deal had created palpable uncertainty among employees, leading to speculation about how the mega-merger will affect SkyShowtime’s shareholder structure.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
-
The layoffs do not affect its coffeehouse employees.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Passed in the final days of session and signed into law by Lamont earlier this week, the bill was praised as a massive victory for the state’s labor community and has been strongly embraced by unions and workers advocacy groups.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
Sections of roadwork, albeit with no workers.—
Weike Wang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retainers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retainers. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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