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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
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 26 June 2025
In a sign that Pahlavi and his retinue take the regime threat seriously, on Monday French police made all journalists arrive an hour early and leave their bags in a courtyard for 10 minutes for investigation by a sniffer dog.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 25 June 2025
They’re supported and sometimes antagonized by a colorful retinue of women, and each actor in the six-woman cast steps forward to steal at least one scene.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 2 June 2025
Every major galaxy like the Milky Way has a retinue of smaller dwarf galaxies orbiting it.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 20 May 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 15 Jul. 2025.
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retinue
noun
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