51Թ

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View synonyms for

retain

[ ri-teyn ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to keep possession of.

    Synonyms: ,

    Antonyms: ,

  2. to continue to use, practice, etc.:

    to retain an old custom.

  3. to continue to hold or have:

    to retain a prisoner in custody; a cloth that retains its color.

  4. to keep in mind; remember.

    Antonyms:

  5. to hold in place or position.
  6. to engage, especially by payment of a preliminary fee:

    to retain a lawyer.

  7. Medicine/Medical. to keep in the body, especially abnormally; fail to eliminate:

    I was referred to a specialty clinic and they discovered that I was retaining urine.



retain

/ ɪˈٱɪ /

verb

  1. to keep in one's possession
  2. to be able to hold or contain

    soil that retains water

  3. (of a person) to be able to remember (information, facts, etc) without difficulty
  4. to hold in position
  5. to keep for one's future use, as by paying a retainer or nominal charge

    to retain one's rooms for the holidays

  6. law to engage the services of (a barrister) by payment of a preliminary fee
  7. (in selling races) to buy back a winner that one owns when it is auctioned after the race
  8. (of racehorse trainers) to pay an advance fee to (a jockey) so as to have prior or exclusive claims upon his services throughout the season
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٲԳԳ, noun
  • ˈٲԲ, adjective
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • ·ٲ·· adjective
  • ·ٲ····ٲ [ri-tey-n, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], ·ٲ···ness noun
  • ·ٲ·Գ noun
  • non··ٲ·· adjective
  • non··ٲ·Գ noun
  • un··ٲ·· adjective
  • ܲ··ٲ·Բ adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of retain1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English reteinen, from Old French retenir, from Latin پŧ “to hold back, hold fast,” equivalent to re- re- + -پŧ, combining form of ٱŧ “to hold”
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of retain1

C14: from Old French retenir , from Latin پŧ to hold back, from re- + ٱŧ to hold
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Synonym Study

See keep.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Knowing that if he retained the lead at the start, the race was a long way to being won, Verstappen did exactly that.

From

But charity The Fostering Network warns government action falls short of what is needed to recruit and retain dedicated carers.

From

And with competitor AI models like Gemini and Grok quickly gaining Indian users, Altman may be keen to retain existing users of his firm's services and also acquire new ones, he says.

From

They’re also looking to customize and retain a lot of values that are important to women investors and others who choose to use their app for investing.

From

President Erdogan – who has many loyal supporters - retains a tight grip on the levers of power.

From

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