retention

noun re·ten·tion \ ri-ˈten(t)-shən \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

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

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

2 a : 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

See retention defined for English-language learners

See retention defined for kids

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 of retention from the Web

But to enhance retention during restructuring, the compensation committee -- acting without investor approval -- reduced the strike price for all awards to $9.45 a share.

— Bloomberg.com, "Zuckerberg Testifies Before Senate Panel," 10 Apr. 2018
State military bureaus also expressed concerns that long-term border missions hurt National Guard recruitment and retention efforts, wore out equipment and degraded their to future natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "The plan's still fuzzy, but Pentagon lurches to deploy troops to the border," 7 Apr. 2018
In other cases, MSU destroyed medical records of people who reported abuse or harassment to MSU police later, but they were all destroyed in accordance with state law and MSU's record retention policy, according to the report.

— ellie kaufman, CNN, "MSU more focused on protecting itself than Nassar victims, report says," 5 Apr. 2018
Scandals at Colorado, USC, SMU, Ohio State, Miami, Michigan and Alabama weren’t enough to clue the NCAA and its member institutions into the fact that there was shady business going on in the recruitment and retention of players?

— nancy armour, USA TODAY, "Final Four: College athletics has changed, and it's long past time NCAA recognized it," 29 Mar. 2018
Chuck Fadely Miami Herald File To determine the 50 best historically black colleges and universities, College Choice looked at retention rates, scholarships, financial assistance, student opportunity, equity and leadership training.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "Four universities in Florida make list of the best historically black schools in U.S. | Miami Herald," 21 Feb. 2018
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, after analyzing federal data tracking graduation and retention rates for HBCUs, came across an alarming finding.

— anne branigin, The Root, "Report Finds Some HBCUs Graduating Less Than 1 Out of 5 Freshmen Within 6 Years," 30 Jan. 2018
Richmond Heights: Does not have a formal records retention policy.

— jackie borchardt, cleveland.com, "267 local governments cited for violating Ohio public records law, auditor says," 12 Nov. 2017
In the interim, for some women the costs - weight gain, water retention, nausea, dizziness, breast tenderness, headaches, vomiting - outweighed the benefits.

— elizabeth kiefer, chicagotribune.com, "Male birth control pill includes a side effect that has frustrated women for decades," 23 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of retention

Middle English retencioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin retention-, retentio, from retinēre to retain — more at retain

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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RETENTION Defined for English Language Learners

retention

noun

: the act of keeping someone or something
: the act of keeping extra liquid, heat, etc., inside the body
: the ability to keep something

RETENTION Defined for Kids

retention

noun re·ten·tion \ ri-ˈten-shən \

1 : the act of continuing to possess, control, or hold

moisture retention

2 : the power or ability to keep or hold something

memory retention

Medical Dictionary

retention

noun re·ten·tion \ ri-ˈten-chən \

1 : the act of retaining: as

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

retention of urine

retention of bile

b : the holding in place of a tooth or dental replacement by means of a retainer

2 : a preservation of the aftereffects of experience and learning that makes recall or recognition possible

Law Dictionary

retention

noun re·ten·tion \ ri-ˈten-chən \

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

2 : the portion of the insurance on a particular risk not reinsured or ceded by the originating insurer

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