retention

noun

re·ten·tion | \ri-ˈten(t)-shən

Definition of retention

1a : the act of retaining : the state of being retained

b : abnormal retaining of a fluid or secretion in a body cavity

2a : power of retaining : retentiveness

b : an ability to retain things in mind specifically : a preservation of the aftereffects of experience and learning that makes recall or recognition possible

3 : something retained

Examples of retention in a Sentence

the recruitment and retention of good employees the retention of profits from all sales pills to offset water retention the retention of things learned in school They say the herb promotes memory retention.

Recent Examples on the Web

Among the allegations are racketeering, witness tampering, mail and wire fraud, assault, civil battery, negligent supervision and retention and intentional infliction of emotional distress. — Elizabeth Zwirz, Fox News, "Harvey Weinstein hit with rape allegation in new lawsuit," 1 June 2018 Eligibility, retention and grades are all part of the metric used to determine each team's score. — Nick Baumgardner, Detroit Free Press, "University of Michigan nets 19 perfect Academic Progress Rate scores," 23 May 2018 His annual base salary of $1 million (plus retention and performance bonuses) is among the sweetest deals in the sport. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville's Dan McDonnell is 'not looking' - but job rumors persist," 16 May 2018 Glickman counts among her accomplishments the growth of student support services, the improvement of retention and graduation rates, as well as building the college’s community partnerships and foundation support for scholarships and programs. — Kathleen Megan, courant.com, "Glickman Retires As President of Manchester Community College," 16 May 2018 Widespread issues regarding facility conditions, staff retention and overcrowding persist at detention facilities nationwide. — Mike Hendricks, kansascity, "Grand jury reports a filthy, crowded Jackson County jail. Where's the money going? | The Kansas City Star," 11 May 2018 At the time, trustees said making the mayor's job full-time and having that person head up business retention and attraction efforts would save Orland Park the cost of hiring a full-time economic development director. — Mike Nolan, Daily Southtown, "Orland Park trustees may reconsider full-time mayor," 3 Apr. 2018 Essential for deaf people and English language learners, and scientifically shown to promote reading comprehension and retention, subtitles have only recently become essential for many TV watchers, period. — Jason Kehe, WIRED, "The Real Reason You Use Closed Captions for Everything Now," 26 June 2018 And many companies continue to focus only on recruitment instead of retention, which Blanche likened to seeing that the canary in the coal mine is having problems and throwing in 50 more canaries as a solution. — Tracey Lien, latimes.com, "As diversity progress in Silicon Valley stalls, advocates call for a new approach," 4 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'retention.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.