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
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Data is collected deliberately, retained indefinitely, enriched with other datasets and analyzed by increasingly powerful AI systems.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Brian Ballard set up the meeting between Gorrin and Pence after his lobbying firm retained Gorrin as a client in June 2017, according to lawyers for Rivera and Nuhfer.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2026
An attorney retained by Andrew’s family told ABC7 that moments before the killing, Andrew read a diary entry in which his wife described engaging in infidelity.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
America’s public health report card is in, and New Hampshire has retained its crown as the country’s healthiest state.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Dubai retained its clear lead among Gulf real estate markets last year, with buyers spending 541 billion dirhams ($147 billion) on residential property in the emirate in 2025, some 27% more than the year before.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
In comparison, competitor cells retained 350 km (218 miles) or less under the same conditions.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
Mike Zimmer was the defensive coordinator in 2024, but he was not retained after the team let go of head coach Mike McCarthy.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
The university subsequently retained the law firm Perkins Coie to conduct an independent investigation.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Data is collected deliberately, retained indefinitely, enriched with other datasets and analyzed by increasingly powerful AI systems.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Brian Ballard set up the meeting between Gorrin and Pence after his lobbying firm retained Gorrin as a client in June 2017, according to lawyers for Rivera and Nuhfer.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2026
An attorney retained by Andrew’s family told ABC7 that moments before the killing, Andrew read a diary entry in which his wife described engaging in infidelity.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
America’s public health report card is in, and New Hampshire has retained its crown as the country’s healthiest state.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Dubai retained its clear lead among Gulf real estate markets last year, with buyers spending 541 billion dirhams ($147 billion) on residential property in the emirate in 2025, some 27% more than the year before.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
In comparison, competitor cells retained 350 km (218 miles) or less under the same conditions.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
Mike Zimmer was the defensive coordinator in 2024, but he was not retained after the team let go of head coach Mike McCarthy.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retained
Adjective
-
Linda Blair would ultimately be cast as the possessed child, Regan.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
27 Dec. 2025
-
David Dastmalchian stars as Jack Delroy, an opportunistic host who invites a possessed girl and a child psychologist as his guests for the night in a desperate bid for ratings.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Across 240 pages, Landfair describes how she became ensnared in Kelly’s web and how the singer kept her trapped there for more than a decade through a persistent and dizzying combination of love-bombing, control, secrecy, and abuse.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
31 Jan. 2026
-
And since then the First Family has kept busy.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There was a dispute as to whether Whigham Place LLC was owned by Campbell or by a company called Clairise Court LLC which Campbell owned.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Signaling sustained and robust demand for fine jewelry amid a wider luxury lull, a Bulgari brooch once owned by Audrey Hepburn sold for 355,600 euros, or about $425,000, at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris, nearly six times its high estimate following fierce bidding among four would-be buyers.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Licensed pyrotechnic operators receive training, but there are no clear requirements for non-operators employed by fireworks companies.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
To address this, the Statista R research team employed triangulation, combining secondary data from global sources and national datasets with primary data from university reports and data submissions to verify collected information.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
28 Jan. 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
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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
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At some point before the end of the season, before that Bills game, Glenn had initial conversations with veteran coach Wink Martindale about the idea of becoming Glenn’s defensive coordinator.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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On the day Alex Pretti was killed, my block had its own candlelit vigil.—
Katherine Packert Burke,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Under Mara and Tisch's co-ownership, the Giants won two Super Bowls and recently hired John Harbaugh as head coach.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
An officer climbs the ranks Deenihan was hired by CPD in 1997 and was initially a patrol officer in the Harrison District (11th) on the city’s West Side, city personnel records show.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The restaurant itself has been protected as a historical French monument since 1990 and the classic interiors—complete with warm mahogany wood paneling by Jean Royère—are beautifully preserved.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
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The bar isn't called the Silver Dollar for nothing; the 65-foot bar has silver coins preserved in it from the 1920s.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retained. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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