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
Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Democrats retained a majority on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Democrats also retained control of the state legislature.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
The 3,000 who were retained are now expected to receive additional support and tutoring while in school, as well as possibly attending summer school.
—Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Much to her dismay, Allura discovers that her soon-to-be-ex has retained the services of Carrington Lane (Paulson), a rival attorney who still holds a grudge against Allura, Liberty and Emerald for leaving her behind at their old firm.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
In the mayoral race, incumbent Kenson Silver retained his office, with 52% of the vote, compared with 47% for the challenger, former Councilwoman Sylvia Jordan, based on unofficial results posted by Oakland County, with 100% of precincts reporting.
—Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The helicopter was recovered and retained for further examination.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Sarah retained her Duchess of York title following her divorce.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
Elsewhere in the state, the Democrats retained their Supreme Court seats and the Democrats won the Pittsburgh mayoral race, the Philadelphia district attorney election and other key races.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Democrats retained a majority on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Democrats also retained control of the state legislature.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
The 3,000 who were retained are now expected to receive additional support and tutoring while in school, as well as possibly attending summer school.
—Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Much to her dismay, Allura discovers that her soon-to-be-ex has retained the services of Carrington Lane (Paulson), a rival attorney who still holds a grudge against Allura, Liberty and Emerald for leaving her behind at their old firm.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
In the mayoral race, incumbent Kenson Silver retained his office, with 52% of the vote, compared with 47% for the challenger, former Councilwoman Sylvia Jordan, based on unofficial results posted by Oakland County, with 100% of precincts reporting.
—Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The helicopter was recovered and retained for further examination.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Sarah retained her Duchess of York title following her divorce.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retained
Adjective
-
One of those nods was for Linda Blair, who expertly played the possessed little girl.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
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
Verb
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Johnson has kept the House out of session since mid-September after Republicans passed a bill to continue government funding.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 Nov. 2025
-
After winning 3-0 at home to Leeds United last weekend, Sunday’s result marked the first time that Brighton had kept consecutive Premier League clean sheets since February.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The diamond is currently owned by descendants of the Austro-Hungarian royal family, who have finally come forward to share their family secret and reveal how the jewel made it out of Europe.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The previous owner was only interested in selling to a family business, and unfortunately for Château D’Issan partner and general manager Emmanuel Cruse, both neighboring wineries are family-owned as well.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The report, which was first covered by the Washington Post, looked at the top 25 employers in each state that employed the most SNAP and Medicaid recipients.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Lillig is no longer employed in either of those roles.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
6 Nov. 2025
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.—
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
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Efforts to compete with Amazon during its ascent in the 2010s had department stores playing catchup on supply chain prowess and integrating stores with e-commerce—sometimes to the detriment of in-store experience.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But the political tensions inevitably had an impact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Reuters reported Thursday that Comcast had hired bankers from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to sort through a potential bid for some of WBD’s assets.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Investigations found the voicemails of public figures were hacked by journalists and private investigators hired by publications who worked on the assumption that few people changed the default voicemail access code their handset came with.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Today, the cookbooks are out of print, but a few copies are available here and there online, and they are preserved in the archives and collections of the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Historical Society.—
Molly Guthrey,
Twin Cities,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Decades later, in 1980, the Granzin family purchased the bakery, but preserved the recipes and traditions, from the strudel to the breakfast-sausage kolaches.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retained. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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