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Retinue comes via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb retenir, meaning "to retain or keep in one's pay or service." Another retenir descendant is retainer, which has among its meanings "one who serves a person of high position or rank." In the 14th century, such retainers typically served a noble or royal of some kind, and retinue referred to a collection of retainers—that is, the noble's servants and companions. Nowadays, the word retinue is often used with a bit of exaggeration to refer to the assistants, guards, publicists, and other people who accompany a high-profile individual in public. You might also hear such a collection of folks called a suite or entourage, two other words that come from French.
Examples of retinue in a Sentence
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2025
He’s decided to reverse course and attend, dragging Ron, his publicist Liz (Laura Dern), and a retinue of assistants and stylists along with him to Europe.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
Although Marie Antoinette was guillotined in 1793, Debauve survived the revolution—one of the few members of the royal retinue not condemned to death.
—Aleksandra Crapanzano, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025
By the break of dawn, the southeastern sky, dominated by Orion and his winter retinue, will be magnificent.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retinue
Cite this Entry
“Retinue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retinue. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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retinue
noun
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