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
Relevance
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
Ian King, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
It was reported not long after Collier’s press conference that Engelbert isn’t expected to be retained as commissioner once the new collective bargaining agreement is ratified.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Earlier in the day, Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser retained her European time-trial title, fending off the Netherlands’ Anna van der Breggen and Demi Vollering in second and third place respectively.
—Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Under the dynamic trajectory, tracking errors increased as expected, but the robot retained stability and followed the overall shape of the path.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
The contractor retained a good reputation in Washington and has continued to work for the State Department on overseas assignments.
—T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
Moreover, the United States has retained control of key leadership positions in NATO, ensuring that Europe’s institutionalized military dependence will endure.
—Jennifer Kavanagh, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Harness said his office will pause its investigation until the PSU completes its review, and because Anderson has retained an attorney to sue the city, ostensibly.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
Following the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the Rainforest Action Network activist group rated the bank as the world’s biggest financier of fossil fuels—a title that the bank retained as of last year.
—Justin Worland, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
This was essentially a cost-saving and simplification exercise and few alarm bells rang at the time, not least because BHP retained a standard listing on the LSE, allowing British investors to remain exposed to the business.
—Ian King, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
It was reported not long after Collier’s press conference that Engelbert isn’t expected to be retained as commissioner once the new collective bargaining agreement is ratified.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Earlier in the day, Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser retained her European time-trial title, fending off the Netherlands’ Anna van der Breggen and Demi Vollering in second and third place respectively.
—Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Under the dynamic trajectory, tracking errors increased as expected, but the robot retained stability and followed the overall shape of the path.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
The contractor retained a good reputation in Washington and has continued to work for the State Department on overseas assignments.
—T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
Moreover, the United States has retained control of key leadership positions in NATO, ensuring that Europe’s institutionalized military dependence will endure.
—Jennifer Kavanagh, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Harness said his office will pause its investigation until the PSU completes its review, and because Anderson has retained an attorney to sue the city, ostensibly.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
Following the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the Rainforest Action Network activist group rated the bank as the world’s biggest financier of fossil fuels—a title that the bank retained as of last year.
—Justin Worland, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retained
Verb
-
The 2-year-old appears to have gotten out into the backyard and opened a kennel where two Rottweilers were being kept, allowing the dogs to get out and attack him, the Valdosta Police Department said in a statement.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Arsenal kept the ball for another minute and quietened the home crowd to get a better feel for the game.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Yes, this location is independently owned by Sanjay Patel, under the MKE Burgers West Allis Inc.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Around 1915, the family left behind their life in La Crosse, where George owned and operated a local grocery store, to move to a farm outside of Plainfield, Wis.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Leakey employed Goodall as a secretary and sent her to study primate behavior in London in 1958.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
-
This receptiveness led to Ockenfels’ favorite pictures from their partnership — inspired by the facial distortions in the paintings of Francis Bacon — in which bendings of glass were employed to warp Bowie’s likeness.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Nun pops out of a wall, a demon appears on a bed, crosses start to spin, a possessed figure scampers across the ceiling and a man with an axe cornered me in a random closet.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Sep. 2025
-
As possessed people speak in foreign tongues and violence rises, Ahmed fears regaining memory, while the disciple fears his master’s decline may unleash an ancient evil.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
28 Aug. 2025
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
-
Between 2011 and 2022, roughly 380 Kansas drivers had the designation on the front of their license changed, according to Appeals Court Judge Karen Arnold-Burger, who authored the June ruling against Kobach.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The remaining 10,000 had no income cap.—
Rachel Wegner,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In 2015, Carlton officials hired appraisers who assessed the shuttered plant’s property at $457 million.—
Miranda Dunlap,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Two years later, he was hired by The Tennessean's sports department.—
Nicole Young,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Compared to green tea, white tea undergoes minimal processing, so higher levels of catechins and polyphenols are preserved.—
Caitlin Pagán,
Verywell Health,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Today, it is carefully preserved in the Chapel of the Holy Chalice inside València’s Cathedral, where pilgrims, scholars, and curious travelers from all over the world come to admire it.—
Visit València,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retained. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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