Definitions for retain
rɪˈteɪnre·tain

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retainverb

   hold back within

   "This soil retains water"; "I retain this drug for a long time"; "the dam retains the water"

2. retain, continue, keep, keep onverb

   allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature

   "We cannot continue several servants any longer"; "She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long as we could"; "She retained her composure"; "this garment retains its shape even after many washings"

3. retain, hold, keep back, hold backverb

   secure and keep for possible future use or application

   "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree"

4. retainverb

   keep in one's mind

   "I cannot retain so much information"

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.8 / 4 votes

1. retainverb

   To keep in possession or use.

2. retainverb

   To keep in one's pay or service.

3. retainverb

   To employ by paying a retainer.

4. retainverb

   To hold secure.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To RETAINverb

   Etymology: retineo, Lat. retenir, Fr.

   1. To keep; not to lose.

   Where is the patience now,
   That you so oft have boasted to retain. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.

   Though th’ offending part felt mortal pain,
   Th’ immortal part its knowledge did retain. John Denham.

   The vigor of this arm was never vain;
   And that my wonted prowess I retain,
   Witness these heaps of slaughter. Dryden.

   A tomb and fun’ral honours I decreed;
   The place your armour and your name retains. Dryden.

   Whatever ideas the mind can receive and contemplate without the help of the body, it is reasonable to conclude, it can retain without the help of the body too. John Locke.

   2. To keep; not to lay aside.

   Let me retain
   The name and all the addition to a king;
   The sway, beloved sons, be yours. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. Rom. i. 22.

   Although they retain the word mandrake in the text, yet they retract it in the margin. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

   Be obedient and retain
   Unalterably firm his love entire. John Milton.

   They, who have restored painting in Germany, not having seen any of those fair reliques of antiquity, have retained much of that barbarous method. Dryden.

   3. To keep; not to dismiss.

   Receive him that is mine own bowels; whom I would have retained with me. Philem. xii. 13.

   Hollow rocks retain the sound of blust’ring winds. John Milton.

   4. To keep in pay; to hire.

   A Benedictine convent has now retained the most learned father of their order to write in its defence. Addison.

2. To Retainverb

   1. To belong to; to depend on.

   These betray upon the tongue no heat nor corrosiveness, but coldness mixed with a somewhat languid relish retaining to bitterness. Boyle.

   In animals many actions depend upon their living form, as well as that of mixtion, and though they wholly seem to retain to the body, depart upon disunion. Brown.

   2. To keep; to continue. Not in use.

   No more can impure man retain and move
   In the pure region of that worthy love,
   Than earthly substance can unforc’d aspire,
   And leave his nature to converse with fire. John Donne.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. RETAIN

   RETAIN is a mainframe based database system, accessed via IBM 3270 terminals (or more likely, emulators), used internally within IBM providing service support to IBM field personnel and customers. The acronym RETAIN stands for Remote Technical Assistance Information Network.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retain

   To retain is to keep possession of or continue to have something. It can also refer to the ability to hold or contain something, like liquids, heat, or information. Furthermore, it can mean to keep someone in a particular position or role.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Retainverb

   to continue to hold; to keep in possession; not to lose, part with, or dismiss; to retrain from departure, escape, or the like

2. Retainverb

   to keep in pay; to employ by a preliminary fee paid; to hire; to engage; as, to retain a counselor

3. Retainverb

   to restrain; to prevent

4. Retainverb

   to belong; to pertain

5. Retainverb

   to keep; to continue; to remain

FreebaseRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. RETAIN

   RETAIN is a mainframe based database system, accessed via IBM 3270 terminals, used internally within IBM providing service support to IBM field personnel and customers. The acronym RETAIN stands for REmote Technical Assistance Information Network.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Retain

   rē-tān′, v.t. to keep in possession: to detain: to employ by a fee paid: to restrain: to keep up, as to retain a custom: to keep in mind.—adj. Retain′able, that may be retained.—ns. Retain′er, one who is retained or kept in service: a dependant, but higher than a servant: a sutler: a retaining fee; Retain′ership; Retain′ment.—Retaining fee, the advance fee paid to a lawyer to defend a cause; Retaining wall, a wall to prevent a bank from slipping down.—General retainer, a fee to secure a priority of claim on a counsel's services; Special retainer, a fee for a particular case. [Fr.,—L. retinēre—re-, back, tenēre, to hold.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retain

   To keep a specific type of form, structure or memory.

   The memory stick retained its memory and the data that was saved onto it.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on January 7, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Hold
   • Prolong
   • Remember

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'retain' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3773

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'retain' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4493

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'retain' in Verbs Frequency: #317

Anagrams for retain »

1. retina

2. tin ear

3. nerita

4. tanier

5. ratine

How to pronounce retain?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say retain in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of retain in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of retain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of retain in a Sentence

1. Benjamin Netanyahu:

   Iran must not be allowed to set itself up as a nuclear threshold state, there is no reason for it to retain thousands of centrifuges which would allow it to enrich uranium for a nuclear bomb in a short period of time.

2. Edward Houghton:

   Today, if you retire at 60, you're likely to live for at least another 20 years, so you probably need to retain some exposure to growth via equity markets, at least initially, and then later on you may choose to annuitise, or look for a form of guaranteed return.

3. Sarkis Naoum:

   We will see under the plan B what he will retain, it might be impossible for him in the long term to retain Damascus, Aleppo or Hama. He will have the coastal area including Homs.

4. Mary Wortley Montagu:

   Prudent people are very happy 'tis an exceeding fine thing, that's certain, but I was born without it, and shall retain to my day of Death the Humour of saying what I think.

5. Marcus Tullius Cicero:

   When you wish to instruct, be brief that men's minds take in quickly what you say, learn its lesson, and retain it faithfully. Every word that is unnecessary only pours over the side of a brimming mind.

Popularity rank by frequency of use