retain
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re·tain
(rĭ-tān′)tr.v. re·tained, re·tain·ing, re·tains
1.
a. To keep possession of; continue to have: The family sold the house but retained the land. See Synonyms at keep.
b. To keep in a particular place or condition: a library that retains the author's papers; plants that retain a lot of water.
c. To continue to have as a feature or aspect: retains his good humor after all the setbacks.
2. To keep in mind; remember: retains the songs she learned in childhood.
3. To require (a student) to repeat a class or grade because of insufficient educational progress to advance.
4.
a. To keep in one's service or pay: retain employees on a workforce.
b. To hire (an attorney, for example) by the payment of a fee.
c. To hire someone for (his or her services).
[Middle English reteinen, from Old French retenir, from Latin retinēre : re-, re- + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
re·tain′a·bil′i·ty n.
re·tain′a·ble adj.
re·tain′ment n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
retain
(rɪˈteɪn)vb (tr)
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) law to engage the services of (a barrister) by payment of a preliminary fee
7. (Horse Racing) (in selling races) to buy back a winner that one owns when it is auctioned after the race
8. (Horse Racing) (of a racehorse trainer) to pay an advance fee to (a jockey) so as to have prior or exclusive claims upon his or her services throughout the season
[C14: from Old French retenir, from Latin retinēre to hold back, from re- + tenēre to hold]
reˈtainable adj
reˈtainment n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
re•tain
(rɪˈteɪn)v.t.
1. to keep possession of.
2. to continue to use, practice, etc.
3. to continue to hold or have: a cloth that retains its color.
4. to keep in mind; remember.
5. to hold in place or position.
6. to engage, esp. by payment of a preliminary fee: to retain a lawyer.
[1350–1400; Middle English reteinen < Old French retenir « Latin retinēre to hold back, hold fast =re- re- + -tinēre, comb. form of tenēre to hold]
re•tain′a•ble, adj.
re•tain′ment, n.
syn: See keep.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
retain
1. When used in the context of deliberate planning, the directed command will keep the referenced operation plan or operation plan in concept format, and any associated joint operation planning system or Joint Operation Planning and Execution System automated data processing files in an inactive library or status. The plan and its associated files will not be maintained unless directed by follow-on guidance. See also archive; maintain.
2. A tactical task to occupy and hold a terrain feature to ensure that it is free of enemy occupation or use.
2. A tactical task to occupy and hold a terrain feature to ensure that it is free of enemy occupation or use.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
retain
Past participle: retained
Gerund: retaining
| Imperative |
|---|
| retain |
| retain |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | retain - hold back within; "This soil retains water"; "I retain this drug for a long time"; "the dam retains the water" |
| 2. | retain - 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" sustain, keep up, prolong - lengthen or extend in duration or space; "We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible"; "prolong the treatment of the patient"; "keep up the good work" persist in, continue - do something repeatedly and showing no intention to stop; "We continued our research into the cause of the illness"; "The landlord persists in asking us to move" | |
| 3. | retain - secure and keep for possible future use or application; "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree" keep, hold on - retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married" hold down - keep; "She manages to hold down two jobs" | |
| 4. | retain - keep in one's mind; "I cannot retain so much information" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
retain
verb
1. maintain, keep, reserve, preserve, keep up, uphold, nurture, continue to have, hang or hold onto He retains a deep respect for the profession.
2. keep, keep possession of, hang or hold onto, save, preserve, cling to, conserve, hold fast to They want to retain a strip 33ft wide on the eastern shore.
keep lose, release, let go, use up
keep lose, release, let go, use up
3. remember, learn, recall, bear in mind, keep in mind, memorize, recollect, commit to memory, learn by heart, impress on the memory She needs tips on how to retain facts.
remember forget
remember forget
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
retain
verb4. To renew an image or thought in the mind:
Idiom: bring to mind.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَحْتَجِزيَحْتَفِظ بِ
udržetzadržet
bibeholdemodstå
halda í skefjumhalda/geyma , varîveita; muna
aizturētnoturētpaturētsaglabāt
retain
[rɪˈteɪn] VT1. (= hold back) → retener; (= keep in one's possession) → guardar, quedarse con; (= keep in memory) → recordar, retener
2. (= sign up) [+ lawyer] → contratar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
retain
[rɪˈteɪn] vt (= keep) [+ independence, freedom, control, rights, leadership] → conserver; [+ title, position, trophy] → conserver; [+ ticket, receipt] → conserver
[moisture, heat] → conserver
(= employ) → engager
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
retain
vt
(= keep) → behalten; money, possession, person → zurück(be)halten; custom → beibehalten, bewahren; urine → zurückhalten; colour → behalten; flavour → beibehalten; moisture → speichern; (battery) charge → halten; (dam) water → stauen; to retain water (soil, body) → Wasser speichern; (sponge) → Wasser halten; to retain control of something → etw weiterhin in der Gewalt haben; to retain power → weiter an der Macht bleiben; to retain the use of a limb/one’s eyes → ein Glied/seine Augen noch gebrauchen können
(= engage) lawyer → beauftragen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
retain
[rɪˈteɪn] vt (hold) → tenere; (keep) → conservare, serbare; (remember) → tenere a mente; (sign up, lawyer) → impegnare (pagando una parte dell'onorario in anticipo)Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
retain
(rəˈtein) verb1. to continue to have, use, remember etc; to keep in one's possession, memory etc. He finds it difficult to retain information; These dishes don't retain heat very well.
2. to hold (something) back or keep (something) in its place. This wall was built to retain the water from the river in order to prevent flooding.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
retain
v. retener, guardar; quedarse con.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
retain
vt retener; to — water retener aguaEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.