1
as in servants
a person hired to perform household or personal services
knights being dressed for battle by their retainers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in employees
one who works for another for wages or a salary
lifelong civil service retainers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of retainers
How To Improve Your Soil's Moisture Retention A short-term solution for small areas or containers with hydrophobic soil is a commercial wetting agent, often called water retainers or penetrants.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Wearing a night guard can help support better sleep, healthier teeth and reduced jaw discomfort and custom retainers help maintain alignment and protect your smile.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Regulars get the same attendant from visit to visit and treat them like family retainers.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2026
Most of the contracts are retainers — with the lobbying firms receiving an equal payment each quarter.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Domestically, Roosevelt’s progressive reforms—breaking up dozens of monopolies, modifying railroad rates, setting aside public lands for conservation—cut against the long run of industrial oligarchy enjoyed by assorted oil, timber, and coal kings in collusion with their congressional retainers.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
Old Hamlet’s retainers acquired crumbling public housing estates turning out occupants enabling them to build showy apartments for cash buyers.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Or, Wu suggested, instead of opting for clear plastic aligners, a person could get metal braces or retainers.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Avoiding flat retainers and aligning SOWs to key outcomes will be highly respected by an investor who has operational expertise.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Wearing a night guard can help support better sleep, healthier teeth and reduced jaw discomfort and custom retainers help maintain alignment and protect your smile.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Regulars get the same attendant from visit to visit and treat them like family retainers.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2026
Most of the contracts are retainers — with the lobbying firms receiving an equal payment each quarter.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Domestically, Roosevelt’s progressive reforms—breaking up dozens of monopolies, modifying railroad rates, setting aside public lands for conservation—cut against the long run of industrial oligarchy enjoyed by assorted oil, timber, and coal kings in collusion with their congressional retainers.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
Old Hamlet’s retainers acquired crumbling public housing estates turning out occupants enabling them to build showy apartments for cash buyers.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Or, Wu suggested, instead of opting for clear plastic aligners, a person could get metal braces or retainers.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Avoiding flat retainers and aligning SOWs to key outcomes will be highly respected by an investor who has operational expertise.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retainers
Noun
-
In 2011, the teenage prince, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, arrived at USC with a small army of servants for an undergrad filled with luxury Lakers suites, exotic cars and a full-time residence at the Beverly Wilshire hotel.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
Chunhyang tried to get a message to him through servants, but the messages never reached him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Not far from where the two sat, a customer service light flickered on and off, but no employees manned the help desk.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
As of December, Cloudflare had 5,156 employees.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Alarmed by growing difficulties for skyway-level residents, workers and shop owners, Kehmeier joined forces with fellow skyway denizens to launch Friends of the Skyway in January.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
-
Lately, a solid consumer has left retailers confident enough to hire more workers to stock shelves or staff cash registers.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retainers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retainers. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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