1
as in kept
to continue to have in one's possession or power
I plan to retain the family heirlooms until my own children are mature enough to appreciate them, and then I will lovingly pass them on
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in owned
to keep, control, or experience as one's own
that author retains the right to veto any changes in his books suggested by his publisher's notoriously intrusive editor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in employed
to provide with a paying job
her neighbor retained her as a nanny for the summer, thus giving her something to do until school started again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of retained
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 May 2026
Under current North Carolina law, Charlotte is required to send 90% of citation revenue to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, with the remaining 10% retained by the city for administrative costs.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026
Wendy Choo retained the Evolve Women’s Championship as her match with Laynie Luck went to a no contest.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
On the witness stand, Nadella testified that OpenAI retained its independence even as the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership deepened over time.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 11 May 2026
Cieslica said a special consultant was retained to help determine the best type of grass to put at the bottom of the basin, along its sides and around the area on the top.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Gray retained his position at full-back for Leeds’ 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the play-off final.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Van retained the title and a rematch with former champ Alexandre Pantoja is now the obvious next step at 125.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
In laboratory tests, full cells using this electrolyte retained 80 percent of their initial capacity after 500 cycles.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026
Verb
First Residence retained a slightly quieter, more residential feel.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 May 2026
Under current North Carolina law, Charlotte is required to send 90% of citation revenue to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, with the remaining 10% retained by the city for administrative costs.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026
Wendy Choo retained the Evolve Women’s Championship as her match with Laynie Luck went to a no contest.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
On the witness stand, Nadella testified that OpenAI retained its independence even as the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership deepened over time.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 11 May 2026
Cieslica said a special consultant was retained to help determine the best type of grass to put at the bottom of the basin, along its sides and around the area on the top.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Gray retained his position at full-back for Leeds’ 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the play-off final.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Van retained the title and a rematch with former champ Alexandre Pantoja is now the obvious next step at 125.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
In laboratory tests, full cells using this electrolyte retained 80 percent of their initial capacity after 500 cycles.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retained
Adjective
-
Whether it was penned by Apa or some Brit with possessed hips, the song soon took off.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2026
-
During the interviews, officers confirmed that 27 of the 28 individuals had either received, sent, possessed or transported child pornography, according to the statement.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Riley kept moving, crashing parties at the Sundance Film Festival and toting the screenplay everywhere, honing his pitch.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
Taylor saw the leaderboards across Aronimink and kept right on walking.—
Doug Ferguson,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The atelier was in operation until 1956, and it was owned by the couturier’s descendents until 1950 when it was purchased by the House of Paquin.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Frieze, owned by Ari Emanuel’s MARI, brings a different energy than typical gallery openings and museum exhibits.—
Jesse Kirshbaum,
SPIN,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Various engineers seeking superior grip performance have employed biomimicry in their designs, which have been inspired by seed pods, elephant trunks, lobster tails (in fact, using actual lobster tails), and, of course, octopus limbs.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 May 2026
-
More than 50 young Made in Italy professionals have been trained in recent years, with more than 80 percent currently employed by OTB.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.—
Daniel S. Levine,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
After an initial miss, Jefferson had four makes in a row, needing one save to clinch the win.—
Sarah Spencer,
AJC.com,
13 May 2026
-
Nurse, who has had to deal with multiple challenges during his time with the Sixers, will remain a constant, at least for the near future.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Money was not available to support testing and port screenings in Uganda when an outbreak was declared last January, one expert told NPR, and another said a majority of USAID's high-risk outbreak specialists were pushed out of the agency and not re-hired.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
To meet their growth targets, banks hired increasing numbers of women, African Americans, Asian Americans, and white ethnics, all of whom had been excluded from or simply wary about pursuing careers in finance.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
And although the new addition containing the guest rooms sticks out quite a bit, the original brick structures have been carefully preserved.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
The house has been preserved to highlight some of the more old-world aspects—spot wood beams, stone floors, and aqua window frames in nearly every room—for a taste of traditional Cycladic style.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retained. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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