retain - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

retain

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/rɪˈteɪn/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/rɪˈteɪn/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(ri tān′)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024
re•tain /rɪˈteɪn/USA pronunciation   v. [~ + object]
  1. to keep possession of:He retained his balance.
  2. to continue to hold or have:clothing that retains its color.
  3. to keep in mind;
    remember:He was good at retaining what he needed for a test.
  4. to hire, esp. by payment of a preliminary fee:to retain a lawyer.
See -tain-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024
re•tain  (ri tān′),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  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.
  6. to engage, esp. by payment of a preliminary fee:to retain a lawyer.
  • Latin retinēre to hold back, hold fast, equivalent. to re- re- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold
  • Old French retenir
  • Middle English reteinen 1350–1400
re•tain′a•ble, adj. 
re•tain′a•bil′i•ty, re•tain′a•ble•ness, n. 
re•tain′ment, n. 
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged hold, preserve. See keep. 
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged loose, lose.
    • 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged forget.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
retain /rɪˈteɪn/ vb (transitive)
  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
  6. to engage the services of (a barrister) by payment of a preliminary fee
Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French retenir, from Latin retinēre to hold back, from re- + tenēre to hold

reˈtainable adj reˈtainment n
'retain' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Gram's method - Loyalist - Ricci - Uniat - abandon - absorb - bid - blanket - brief - brown rice - carry - catch - catch basin - compensation neurosis - confidence - continue - continuous - conurbation - cozy - cross-lot bracing - defend - desensitize - discard - embed - everlasting - farm - farmer - ferromagnetism - firm - fixed star - for - form stop - fulsome - geotextile - globe amaranth - good - hair gel - helichrysum - hold - hold down - hold on - hot plate - humectant - immortelle - impound - incontinent - indeterminism - inner child - irretentive - keep
Collocations: retain your [balance, integrity, dignity], retain [office, power, ownership], retain (your) [workers, staff, lawyer, identity], more...

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