retain
Use Retain in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to keep possession of.
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.
5.
to hold in place or position.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English reteinen < Old French retenir < Latin retinēre to hold back, hold fast, equivalent to re- re- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold
1350–1400; Middle English reteinen < Old French retenir < Latin retinēre to hold back, hold fast, equivalent to re- re- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold
Related forms
re·tain·a·ble, adjective
re·tain·a·bil·i·ty, re·tain·a·ble·ness, noun
re·tain·ment, noun
non·re·tain·a·ble, adjective
non·re·tain·ment, noun
Antonyms
1. loose, lose. 4. forget.
1. loose, lose. 4. forget.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To retain
00:10
Retain
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
| to flee; abscond: |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
retain (rɪˈteɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 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 |
| [C14: from Old French retenir, from Latin retinēre to hold back, from | |
| re'tainable | |
| —adj | |
| re'tainment | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
retain
late 14c., from O.Fr. retenir, from L. retinere "hold back," from re- "back" + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Meaning "keep (another) attached to one's person, keep in service" is from mid-15c.; specifically of lawyers from 1540s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
It was no longer possible for the governing faction to retain their hold on power without regular resort to violence.
Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
But they don't retain heat in winter, so furnaces work harder.
For example yeast cells retain memory of their nutritional environment.
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