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 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 But detectives later discovered that McVay never hired the attorney the victim requested and that McVay repaid herself for the attorney’s retainer, police allege in the statement. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2026 Not everyone can afford a law firm’s pricey retainer or hourly rate when a legal issue comes up. — Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for retainer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retainer
  1. servant
  2. employee
  3. maid
  4. worker
Noun
  • Particularly for a character like this, who is literally a servant and has to exist in the hollows created by other people in that world — that’s a very useful tool for me as an actor.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Screen vet Leguizamo most recently played Eumaeus, Odysseus’ faithful servant and friend, in Christopher Nolan and Universal’s box office juggernaut The Odyssey.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of servant
Noun
  • Safety begins with owners and boards and extends to every employee operating an attraction.
    — Dennis Speigel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The proposal returned to the Baltimore County Council Tuesday, reigniting discussion over compensation for the county’s highest-ranking officials as some government employees continue pressing for higher pay.
    — Natalie Jones, Baltimore Sun, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of employee
Noun
  • He is surrounded by a parade of savvier comic archetypes — from his urbane, happily rational brother, Beralde (Dylan Baker), to his smart-aleck maid, Toinette (Rachel Bloom, giving eternal side-eye) — who have to either evade or manipulate him.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • He’s constantly getting tangled in its mechanical pop-up footrest; his maid, Toinette (Rachel Bloom, surprisingly unshowy here), must unstick him.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of maid
Noun
  • In new measures, the army said most Palestinian workers with permits will not be allowed to enter Israeli West Bank settlements on Sunday and Monday, and crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Israel's elections on Tuesday.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Crump also highlighted that Foster was accused of making a racially offensive remark to a co-worker days before the shooting, according to Mississippi Today.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of worker

Browse Nearby Words

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 30 Oct. 2026.

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