Word.ws English Dictionary

retain

Syllables: re·tainUK/ɹɪˈteɪn//ɹəˈteɪn/

retain verb: often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop.

Verb

retain (third-person singular simple present retains, present participle retaining, simple past and past participle retained)

  1. (transitive) Often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop.
    • Upon vvhich Prince Henry enraged, took up the Cheſs-board, and ſtruck the Dauphin vvith ſuch Fury on the Head, that he laid him bleeding on the Ground, and had killed him if his Brother Robert had not retained him, and made him ſenſible hovv much more it concerned him to make his Eſcape than purſue...1695, William Temple, An Introduction to the History of England, London: […] Richard Simpson […], and Ralph Simpson […], →OCLC, pages 286–287
    1. (transitive) To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year; to keep back.
  2. (transitive) Of a thing: to hold or keep (something) inside it; to contain.
    • water retained by a dam
    • [I]f diſtilled Vinegar or Aquafortis be povvred upon the povvder of Loadſtone, the ſubſiding povvder dryed, retaines ſome magneticall vertue, and vvill be attracted by the Loadſtone: […]1646, Thomas Browne, “Concerning the Loadstone, therein of Sundry Common Opinions, and Received Relations, Naturall, Historicall, Medicall, Magicall”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], London: […]...
    1. (transitive) To hold back (tissue or a substance, especially urine) in the body or a body organ.
  3. (transitive) To hold (something) secure; to prevent (something) from becoming detached or separated.
  4. (transitive) To keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something); to keep back.
    • Robert of Artoys baniſht though thou be, / From Fraunce thy natiue Country, yet with vs, / Thou ſhalt retayne as great a Seigniorie: / For vve create thee Earle of Richmond heere, […]1596, [attributed to William Shakespeare; Thomas Kyd], The Raigne of King Edward the Third: […], London: […] [T. Scarlet] for Cuthbert Burby, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], signature A3, recto
    • Then preacing to the pillour I repeated / The read thereof for guerdon of my paine, / And taking dovvne the ſhield, vvith me did it retaine.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 10, page 142
    1. (transitive) To keep (something) in the mind; to recall, to remember.
      • Novv 'tis obvious enough to conceive, hovv much eaſier, all ſuch VVritings ſhould be Learnt and Remembred, in Verſe than in Proſe, […] by the order of Feet vvhich makes a great Facility of Tracing one VVord after another, by knovving vvhat ſort of Foot or Quantity, muſt neceſſarily have preceded or...1690, William Temple, Miscellanea. The Second Part. […], London: […] T. M. for Ri[chard] and Ra[lph] Simpson, […], →OCLC, section, page 307
      • Or that ſvveet Song I heard vvith ſuch delight; / The ſame you ſung alone one ſtarry Night; / The Tune I ſtill retain, but not the VVords.1697, Virgil, “The Ninth Pastoral. Or, Lycidas, and Moeris.”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC...
  5. (transitive) To keep (something) in place or use, instead of removing or abolishing it; to preserve.
    • And yet leſte any manne ſhould bee offended (whom good reaſon might ſatiſfie) here be certayne cauſes rendered, why ſome of the accuſtomed Ceremonies be put awaye, and ſome be retayned and kept ſtill.1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, “Of Ceremonies: Why Some be Abolished and Some Retayned”, in The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacramentes, […], London: […]...
    • VVhich vvhen they found hovv ſtill I did retaine / Th' ambitious courſe vvherein I firſt beganne, / And laſtly felt, that vnder my diſdaine / Into contempt continually they ranne; / Take armes at once to remedy their vvrong, / VVhich their cold ſpirits had ſuffered but too long.1605, Michaell Draiton [i.e., Michael Drayton], Poems: […], London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] Ling, →OCLC
  6. (transitive) To engage or hire (someone), especially temporarily.
    • It is ſuch a Rarity as this that I ſavv at Vendome in France, vvhich they there pretend is a Tear that our Saviour ſhed over Lazarus, and vvas gather'd up by an Angel, vvho put it in a little Cryſtal Vial, and made a Preſent of it to Mary Magdalene. […] It is in the Poſſeſſion of a Benedictin...1705, J[oseph] Addison, “Pavia, Milan, &c.”, in Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, pages 37–38
    1. (transitive) 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.
      • It is vvell knovvn thou retaineſt thy Lavvyers by the Year, ſo a freſh Lavv-Suit adds but little to thy Expences; […]1733, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], Alexander Pope, compiler, “Law is a Bottomless Pit. Or, The History of John Bull. […]. The Second Part. Chapter XVI. How John Bull and Nic. Frog...
      • "Mr. Pickwick is the defendant in Bardell and Pickwick, Serjeant Snubbin," said Perker. / "I am retained in that, am I?" said the Sergeant. / "You are, Sir," replied Perker.1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “Which is All about the Law, and Sundry Great Authorities Learned therein”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […]...
  7. (transitive) To keep (someone) in one's pay or service; also, (chiefly historical) to maintain (someone) as a dependent or follower.
    • [H]e entruſted the government of the province to Archas Martin and Lupicaire, tvvo mercenary Brabançons, vvhom he had retained in his ſervice.1762, David Hume, “[John.] Chapter XI.”, in The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to the Accession of Henry VII, volume I, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, page 365
  8. (reflexive, transitive) To control or restrain (oneself); to exercise self-control over (oneself).
  9. (archaic, transitive) To keep (someone) in custody; to prevent (someone) from leaving.
    • There vvith the Nymph his mother, like her thrall; / VVho ſore againſt his vvill did him retaine, / For feare of perill, vvhich to him mote fall, / Through his too ventrous provveſſe proued ouer all.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 7, page 158
  10. (transitive) To declare (a sin) not forgiven.
    • Receave the holy gooſt: whoſoevers ſynnes ye remyt⸝ they are remitted vnto them: And whoſoevers ſynnes ye retayne⸝ they are retayned.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, John xx:[23], folio clj, verso
    • I vvill ſo remit vvrongs, as I may not encourage others to offer them; and ſo retaine them, as I may not induce God to retaine mine to him.1605, Jos[eph] Hall, “Paragraph 98”, in Meditations and Vowes, Diuine and Morall. […], London: […] Humfrey Lownes, for Iohn Porter, →OCLC, 1st book, page 27
    Antonyms:
    remit
  11. (intransitive) To keep in control or possession; to continue having.
    • [T]he ſpirit is exceedingly acid, and may be called a ſtrong and ſour Acetum Minerale; vvereas the fixt nitre has as ſtrong a taſte of ſalt of tartar as the ſpirit has of diſtilled vinegar: and yet theſe tvvo bodies, vvhoſe ſapours are ſo pungent, and ſo differing, do both ſpring from and unite...1661, Robert Boyle, “A Physico-chymical Essay, Concerning an Experiment, with Some Considerations Touching the Differing Parts and Redintegration of Salt-petre”, in The Works of the Honourable Robert...
    • But an executor of his ovvn vvrong is not allovved to retain: for that vvould tend to encourage creditors to ſtrive vvho ſhould firſt take poſſeſſion of the goods of the deceaſed; and vvould beſides be taking advantage of their ovvn vvrong, vvhich is contrary to the rule of lavv.1766, William Blackstone, “Of Title by Testament, and Administration”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book II (Of the Rights of Things), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page...
  12. (intransitive) To have the ability to keep something in the mind; to use the memory.
    • The things that make a good Judge, or good Interpreter of the Lavves, are, […] Fourthly, and laſtly, Patience to heare; diligent attention in hearing; and memory to retain, digeſt and apply vvhat he hath heard.1651, Thomas Hobbes, “Of Civill Lawes”, in Leviathan, or The Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civill, London: […] [William Wilson] for Andrew Crooke, […], →OCLC, 2nd part...
    • Alike, to all the kind, impartial Heav'n / The ſparks of truth and happineſs has giv'n: / VVith ſenſe to feel, vvith memory to retain, / They follovv pleaſure, and they fly from pain; […]1775, W[illiam] Mason, quoting Thomas Gray, “Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Mr. Gray. Section the Fourth. Essay I.”, in [Thomas] Gray, The Poems of Mr. Gray. […], York, Yorkshire: […] A[nn]...
Show 4 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (intransitive) Of a body or body organ: to hold back tissue or a substance.
  2. (intransitive, obsolete) To refrain from doing something.
    • [T]hey can ſcarce retaine from burſting foorth / In plaine reuolt.1600 or 1601 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], Antonios Reuenge. The Second Part. […], London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, and are to be soulde [by Matthew Lownes] […]...
  3. (intransitive, obsolete) To be a dependent or follower to someone.
    • He was reteynyng to Sergius Paulus, whiche was proconſull, that is to ſaye lieutenaunt, or the lorde deputie of that Yland, and was a wyſe man and of good experience.1549 February 10 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1548), Erasmus, “The Actes of the Apostles. The .xiii. Chapter.”, in Nicolas Udall [i.e., Nicholas Udall], transl., The First Tome or Volume of the...
    • VVhen ſoone thoſe other Rils to Seuerne vvhich retaine, / And 'tended not on Teame, thus of themſelues do ſhovve / The ſeruice that to her they abſolutely ovve.1612, Michael Drayton, “The Eight Song”, in [John Selden], editor, Poly-Olbion. Or A Chorographicall Description of Tracts, Riuers, Mountaines, Forests, and Other Parts of this Renowned Isle of Great...
  4. (intransitive, obsolete, rare) To continue, to remain.
    • No more can impure man retaine and move / In that pure region of a vvorthy love: / Then earthly ſubſtance can unforc'd aſpire, / And leave his nature to converſe vvith fire: […]a. 1631 (date written), J[ohn] Donne, “To the Countesse of Huntington”, in Poems, […] with Elegies on the Authors Death, London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for John Marriot, […], published 1639, →OCLC...

Noun

retain (plural retains)

  1. (obsolete) An act of holding or keeping something; a possession, a retention.
  2. (collective, obsolete) Synonym of retinue (“a group of attendants or servants, especially of someone considered important”).
    Synonyms:
    retinue

retain meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Telugu

retain in Hindi

बरकरार रखें

retain in Tamil

அமர்த்து, விடாமல் கொள், உறுதியாகக் கைக்கொள், தக்க வைத்துக் கொள், தக்கவை, விடாது வைத்திரு

retain in Bengali

রাখা, মনে রাখা, ধরিয়া রাখা, অধিকারী রাখা

retain in Telugu

నిలుపుకోండి
More languagesFewer languages
retain in Malayalam
വച്ചുപുലർത്തുക, പിടിച്ചുവയ്ക്കുക, നിലനിർത്തുക
retain in Kannada
ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳು, ತಡೆಹಿಡಿ, ನೆನಪಿಡು, ಕೆಲಸಕೊಡು
retain in Assamese
চলা sola, চলোৱা solüa
retain in Arabic
أَبْقَى ʔabqā, أَدَامَ ʔadāma, بَقَّى baqqā, حَفِظَ ḥafiẓa

Examples of retain in a sentence

  • Sir Roger Acton, thou retainſt the name / Of knight, and ſhouldſt be more diſcreetly temperd, / Than ioyne vvith peaſants, gentry is diuine, / But thou haſt made it more then popular.1600, [Michael Drayton, Richard Hathwaye, Anthony Munday, Robert Wilson], The First Part of the True and Honorable Historie, of the Life of...
  • [S]he [Sabrina, a water nymph] reviv'd, / And undervvent a quicke, immortall change / Made goddeſſe of the river; ſtill ſhe retaines / Her maiden gentleneſſe, […]1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634...
  • Among debts of equal degree, the executor or adminiſtrator is allovved to pay himſelf firſt; by retaining in his hands ſo much as his debt amounts to.1766, William Blackstone, “Of Title by Testament, and Administration”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book II (Of the Rights of...
  • I still retain an unbounded admiration for G[eorge] J[ackson] Churchward and all his works, so wisely carried on by his successors.1947 January and February, H[arold] Holcroft, “‘Castles’, ‘Lord Nelsons’ and ‘Royal Scots’”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill...

All 40 example sentences with retain

Synonyms of retain

Antonyms

Forms of retain

Verb
third-person singular presentretains
present participleretaining
past participleretained
pastretained
second-person singular present (archaic)retainest
second-person singular past (archaic)retainedst
third-person singular present (archaic)retaineth
Noun
pluralretains

Past tense of retain: retained

Origin of retain

From Late Middle English reteinen, retein (“to continue to keep, retain; to continue to possess; to possess; to contain; to draw back, retire; to hold back, restrain; to keep in mind, remember; to take back, repossess; to appoint; to engage in one’s service, employ, hire”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman reteiner, retenir [and other forms], Middle French retenir, and Old French retenir (“to keep back, retain; to keep, maintain, preserve; to possess; to engage in one’s service, employ; to detain; to hold back, restrain; to remember”) (modern French retenir), from Vulgar Latin *retinīre, from Latin retinēre, the present active infinitive of retineō (“to keep or hold back, detain, retain; to hold in check, stop; to hold fast, maintain; to keep in mind, remember”) (compare Late Latin retineō (“to keep engaged in one’s service”)), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + teneō (“to grasp, hold; to hold fast, restrain; to possess; to keep in mind, remember”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to extend, stretch”)). Etymology 1 sense 1.10 (“to declare (a sin) not forgiven”) is derived from John 20:23 in the Bible, in Late Latin quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt, and in Koine...

Partly: * from Middle English retein, retain (“possession of a sum of money”) […]; and * from the verb (see etymology 1).

Words formed from retain

Words that rhyme with retain

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about retain

What does retain mean?
Retain means often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop.
What is retain in Hindi?
Retain in Hindi is बरकरार रखें. See Retain meaning in Hindi.
How do you use retain in a sentence?
Sir Roger Acton, thou retainſt the name / Of knight, and ſhouldſt be more diſcreetly temperd, / Than ioyne vvith peaſants, gentry is diuine, / But thou haſt made it more then popular.
What part of speech is retain?
Retain can be a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce retain?
Retain is pronounced /ɹɪˈteɪn/ (UK).
What is the past tense of retain?
The past tense of retain is retained.

Words near retain in the dictionary

  1. retailored
  2. retailoring
  3. retailors
  4. retails
  5. retailtainment
  6. retain
  7. retain and explain
  8. retainability
  9. retainable
  10. retainably
  11. retainage

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: retain (page history and authors); retain (Hindi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); retain (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); retain (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); retain (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); retain (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); retain (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); চলা (Assamese) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-retain.ogg.

Cite this entry: “retain.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/retain. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.