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
Charlotte Observer, 1 June 2026
The three were retained for another six years, but the justices called the period a stressful attack on the independence of the judiciary.
—Miami Herald, 31 May 2026
The appropriations bill signed into law in January 2026 retained the research office, funded NOAA at roughly $6 billion and directed the agency not to close its laboratories.
—Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
The Pendleton family retained Hyholme until 1915, and the grand home passed through various other owners.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2026
He was named Las Vegas’ interim special teams coordinator following Week 10 of the 2025 season but was not retained by new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Morvan has reportedly retained ownership of the Milli Vanilli name and has continued to perform under it as a solo act following the death of his collaborator, Rob Pilatus, in 1998.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
The external group hosted a tournament where participants were charged $150 a day, and all proceeds were retained by the external group.
—Dylan Lysen
may 28, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
The Sharks, who retained a small percentage of Hertl’s salary cap hit, then used those assets to help acquire prospect goalie Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators in August 2024.
—Mercury News, 25 May 2026
Verb
Moore retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, a press release from his law firm said Monday.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 June 2026
The three were retained for another six years, but the justices called the period a stressful attack on the independence of the judiciary.
—Miami Herald, 31 May 2026
The appropriations bill signed into law in January 2026 retained the research office, funded NOAA at roughly $6 billion and directed the agency not to close its laboratories.
—Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
The Pendleton family retained Hyholme until 1915, and the grand home passed through various other owners.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2026
He was named Las Vegas’ interim special teams coordinator following Week 10 of the 2025 season but was not retained by new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Morvan has reportedly retained ownership of the Milli Vanilli name and has continued to perform under it as a solo act following the death of his collaborator, Rob Pilatus, in 1998.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
The external group hosted a tournament where participants were charged $150 a day, and all proceeds were retained by the external group.
—Dylan Lysen
may 28, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
The Sharks, who retained a small percentage of Hertl’s salary cap hit, then used those assets to help acquire prospect goalie Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators in August 2024.
—Mercury News, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retained
Adjective
-
But no homes are so possessed with pottery of the truly enormous variety as Jeremiah Brent and Nate Berkus, whose Portuguese farmhouse appears on the cover of our June issue.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
22 May 2026
-
Once Nikki returns to herself, she’s still left with extreme trauma and consequences, given that the possessed version of her murdered two people.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The Rockies kept piling on and taking away any chance for late-game drama in LoDo.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
Tedo kept opening bottles of his bold Saperavi red and refilling pitchers of amber wine.—
Lori Rackl,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
More than three-quarters of America’s financial assets, including stocks, are owned by the top 20% — and more than a quarter by the top 1%.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
-
Also included in this zone is the adjacent unnamed development (owned by the same developers as Lee + White), which is the new home of the Atlanta Food Truck Park, and Bogg’s Social and Supply next door.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Some doctors employed wildly improbable cures when treating these pestilential tumors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
And if advanced technology is going to be a net negative for human jobs, governments will have to find ways to keep people gainfully employed … or otherwise compensated.—
John Koetsier,
Forbes.com,
27 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
-
Crichton never had to ask for our attention.—
Ian Mackenzie,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
Well more than a year before the May 18 attack, Caleb Vazquez’s behavior had so concerned officials that he was placed on a 72-hour involuntary hold for a mental health evaluation, feared to be a danger to himself or others, court documents indicate.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors alleged Roberts knowingly lacked employment authorization for nearly all of his two-decade career in urban education and submitted a counterfeit Social Security card when he was hired as superintendent of the Des Moines public school district, which serves 30,000 students.—
Hannah Fingerhut,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
And yet, in the same window, my 50-person consulting firm hired its first full-stack software developer in January.—
Rob Collie,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
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At the time, detectives collected and preserved physical evidence but were unable to narrow down a suspect.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
The core of the building will be preserved, and the outside is getting a makeover.—
Chase Jordan
May 29,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retained. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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