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
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
Jenny Vaughan,
semafor.com,
22 June 2026
One-year-old Kohen Wiley, his mother and a family friend were in the vehicle at the time, according to Ben Crump Law, which has been retained by the victim's family.
—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
22 June 2026
Routine video footage will be retained for up to five years, while non-matching face data will not be stored continuously.
—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
21 June 2026
The Hawks have retained one of their top free agents.
—
Lauren Williams,
AJC.com,
21 June 2026
The Messner family retained ownership of Hollywood Hardware’s land but by early 2025 was months away from selling that too.
—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
20 June 2026
Lhapal Gyal said the team retained the spiritual core of the source material while reworking character relationships and the narrative structure, drawing on their own direct encounters with the landscapes, customs and culture of Xizang.
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
20 June 2026
In his final February 2024 report, Hur found that Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency, including reading classified information aloud to Zwonitzer and revealing sensitive military and foreign policy in Afghanistan.
—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
19 June 2026
The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur in the course of his investigation into whether Biden improperly retained classified documents while a senator and vice president.
—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Adjective
No Kansas justice has ever been non-retained.
—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
Verb
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party retained its large parliamentary majority in recent elections overshadowed by unrest in Africa’s second-most-populous country.
—
Jenny Vaughan,
semafor.com,
22 June 2026
One-year-old Kohen Wiley, his mother and a family friend were in the vehicle at the time, according to Ben Crump Law, which has been retained by the victim's family.
—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
22 June 2026
Routine video footage will be retained for up to five years, while non-matching face data will not be stored continuously.
—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
21 June 2026
The Hawks have retained one of their top free agents.
—
Lauren Williams,
AJC.com,
21 June 2026
The Messner family retained ownership of Hollywood Hardware’s land but by early 2025 was months away from selling that too.
—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
20 June 2026
Lhapal Gyal said the team retained the spiritual core of the source material while reworking character relationships and the narrative structure, drawing on their own direct encounters with the landscapes, customs and culture of Xizang.
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
20 June 2026
In his final February 2024 report, Hur found that Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency, including reading classified information aloud to Zwonitzer and revealing sensitive military and foreign policy in Afghanistan.
—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
19 June 2026
The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur in the course of his investigation into whether Biden improperly retained classified documents while a senator and vice president.
—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 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.
-
Once Nikki returns to herself, she’s still left with extreme trauma and consequences, given that the possessed version of her murdered two people.
Verb
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The Cubs kept the game plan fairly simple for Peterson in his debut following a whirlwind couple of days after learning he had been traded Wednesday evening.
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All calls will be kept confidential.
Verb
-
The Reinsdorf family, which has owned the Chicago Bulls since 1985, will retain controlling interest in the franchise, and both the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families hold majority stakes in the United Center.
-
She is accused of fraudulently representing that the practice was owned by a licensed dentist in order to enroll with Medicaid and forging a licensed dentist’s signature on enrollment paperwork, prosecutors said.
Verb
-
Nearly a year after that settlement, Miller is still employed by the carrier, now in video production on its global communications team.
-
The agency employed 74,000 people at the beginning of the 2026 tax-filing season, a 27% reduction from the 102,000 employees a year earlier, Collins wrote.
Verb
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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.
-
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
Verb
-
Swept away The high altitude in Denver can cause certain pitch types to go awry, but Gray had the benefit of being able to mix and match from his expansive repertoire.
-
He's also made three career trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and had postseason career highs with nine assists and points in 20 games in 2022, helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup.
Verb
-
The Kings hired Peter Laviolette as their head coach earlier this month, and Clarke’s offensive skill fits well into the team’s possible evolution away from its traditional defense-first mentality to a more aggressive club under Laviolette.
-
After serving in the Army during World War II and performing in the Borscht Belt, Sid Caesar hired him as a writer.
Verb
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While the Civil War was fought far from Pittsburgh's streets, its impact can still be found here today — in the graves of arsenal workers, in the medals of hometown heroes, and in the stories preserved for future generations.
-
Since then, Hawks says, the team has unearthed other bones that might be better preserved, and sampling and sequencing technologies have also improved.
Cite this Entry
“Retained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retained. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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