retainer

noun

ri-ˈtā-nər How to pronounce retainer (audio)
Definition of retainernext
1
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services knights being dressed for battle by their retainers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in employee
one who works for another for wages or a salary lifelong civil service retainers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of retainer The retainers were with two law firms, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton and the Law Offices of Young, Minney & Corr, and financial adviser Arch + Beam Global. — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Qonnect would receive a monthly retainer of $30,000 paid by the district to Poyner Spruill. — Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026 The remains of these servants, or retainers, were first excavated from the funerary complexes at Abydos, eastern Egypt, which date from around 3000 BC, in the 1920s. — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026 This particular set of remains—46 crania stored at Cambridge University—came from the Umm el-Qaab cemetery, which contains subsidiary burials presumed to be retainers of deceased First Dynasty rulers. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for retainer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retainer
  1. servant
  2. employee
  3. maid
  4. worker
Noun
  • The dramatis personae of the story consists entirely of the Chen family, its servants, and a couple of associates, including a young doctor with whom the Third Mistress (He Saifei) may or may not be having an affair.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The maid-servant has just dipped a flannel into the white basin of water at her feet and is now holding the flannel up to wash Mary’s face.
    — Artforum, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of servant
Noun
  • Early returns also showed voters favoring Measure A, which would establish binding arbitration for sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and other public safety employees who by law cannot go on strike.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Mauldin, chair of the city’s Planning Commission and an employee of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, emphasized responsible growth, affordable housing and improvements to roads, public transit and utilities.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of employee
Noun
  • The maid-servant has just dipped a flannel into the white basin of water at her feet and is now holding the flannel up to wash Mary’s face.
    — Artforum, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The piece was presented by Queen Anne to her maid-of-honour, Lady Elizabeth Russell, who married Peter Bowlby circa 1750.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of maid
Noun
  • Civil defense workers and residents in the city of Deir al-Balah searched through the rubble largely using their bare hands.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • The company also said that, depending on the application, a single AIR unit could handle workloads equivalent to as many as three workers per shift.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of worker

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retained
retainer
retainers
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Cite this Entry

“Retainer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retainer. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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