retain

noun

An act of holding or keeping something; a possession, a retention.

Synonym of retinue (“a group of attendants or servants, especially of someone considered important”).

verb

(transitive) Often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop.

(transitive) (education) To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year; to keep back.

(transitive) Of a thing: to hold or keep (something) inside it; to contain.

(transitive) (medicine) To hold back (tissue or a substance, especially urine) in the body or a body organ.

(transitive) To hold (something) secure; to prevent (something) from becoming detached or separated.

(transitive) To keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something); to keep back.

(transitive) To keep (something) in the mind; to recall, to remember.

(transitive) To keep (something) in place or use, instead of removing or abolishing it; to preserve.

(transitive) To engage or hire (someone), especially temporarily.

(transitive) (chiefly law) To employ (someone, especially a lawyer) by paying a retainer (“fee one pays to reserve another person's time for services”); specifically, to engage (a barrister) by making an initial payment to secure their services if needed.

(transitive) (reflexive) To control or restrain (oneself); to exercise self-control over (oneself).

(transitive) (Christianity) To declare (a sin) not forgiven.

(intransitive) To keep in control or possession; to continue having.

(intransitive) To have the ability to keep something in the mind; to use the memory.

(intransitive) (medicine) Of a body or body organ: to hold back tissue or a substance.

(transitive) To keep (someone) in one's pay or service; also, (chiefly historical) to maintain (someone) as a dependent or follower.

(transitive) (archaic) To keep (someone) in custody; to prevent (someone) from leaving.

(intransitive) (obsolete) To refrain from doing something.

(intransitive) (obsolete) To be a dependent or follower to someone.

(intransitive) (obsolete) (rare) To continue, to remain.

Roots

teneo-tain · Latin · hold

Synonyms for retain

keepv holdv maintainv preservev conservev withholdv sustainv containv possessv absorbv

Synonyms & related words for retain

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of retain — including keep, hold, maintain, preserve, conserve, withhold. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to retain

Explore words related to retain — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include retainable, retainment, irretentive, continue, retention, holdable, uphold, regain. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for retain

Common synonyms for retain include keep, hold, maintain, preserve, conserve, withhold, sustain, contain — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does retain come from?

The word retain breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root -tain, from Latin teneo (“hold”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.