Synonyms of retaining

retaining 1 of 2

noun

as in retention

Related Words

• retention
• holding
• keeping
• possession
• hands
• control
• support
• custody
• maintenance
• enjoyment
• conservation
• safekeeping
• ownership
• care
• proprietorship
• claiming
• power
• mastery
• procurement
• repossession
• dominion
• confiscation
• authority
• command
• commandeering
• collaring

Dissimilar Words

• relinquishment
• surrendering
• dispossession
• transferal
• nonpossession

retaining

2 of 2

verb

present participle of retain

1

as in keeping

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

• keeping
• holding
• preserving
• possessing
• saving
• having
• reserving
• withholding
• protecting
• conserving
• enjoying
• guarding
• owning
• holding on to
• managing
• controlling
• hanging on to
• boasting
• directing
• commanding
• ruling
• harboring
• detaining
• hugging
• clinging (to)
• cherishing
• bearing
• treasuring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• yielding
• relinquishing
• releasing
• surrendering
• abandoning
• giving
• dropping
• contributing
• giving up
• dumping
• donating
• discarding
• losing
• ceding
• declining
• rejecting
• handing over
• handing out
• repudiating
• spurning

2

as in owning

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

• owning
• having
• possessing
• enjoying
• holding
• keeping
• commanding
• reserving
• withholding
• carrying
• rejoicing in
• bearing
• boasting
• sporting
• showing off

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lacking
• wanting
• abandoning
• relinquishing
• yielding
• renouncing
• dumping
• surrendering
• discarding
• ceding
• requiring
• rejecting
• declining
• handing over
• disclaiming
• needing
• disowning
• repudiating
• spurning

3

as in employing

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

• employing
• hiring
• recruiting
• engaging
• placing
• paying
• enlisting
• assuming
• signing (up or on)
• feeing
• taking on
• laying on
• promoting
• jobbing
• upgrading
• partnering
• contracting
• rehiring
• reengaging
• subcontracting
• reemploying
• advancing
• keeping (on)
• scouting
• apprenticing
• headhunting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dismissing
• discharging
• firing
• sacking
• canning
• axing
• laying off
• locking out
• furloughing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of retaining

Noun

Older people have a harder time producing, retaining, and circulating body heat. — Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026

The fabric is the smooth, soft feel that Lululemon is famous for, while still being breathable, sweat-wicking, and shape-retaining. — Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Apr. 2026

But we’re invited to see him as, despite these foibles, amusing and retaining, and his cynicism about everything and his lack of moral scruple is—actually, we’re invited to see this as a kind of higher wisdom. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Lynch retaining seems likely, but Bella’s presence brings nostalgia and star power for the international audience. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Verb

Both aircraft use Jaunt’s Slowed-Rotor Compound configuration, which shifts more lift to the wing during forward flight to improve cruise efficiency while retaining vertical takeoff and landing capability. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026

Alabama, meanwhile, remains a persistent outlier, retaining the highest relative fatality burden even when normalized against population size, indicating that exposure alone does not fully account for its placement in the distribution. — Matthew MacConnell, ArsTechnica, 3 Aug. 2026

But about 400 travellers who had come from sub-Saharan Africa planned to remain on the border, ostensibly retaining hopes of making it to Europe. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026

The resulting design of the mouse decreases its overall footprint while retaining the stability of a familiar symmetrical profile. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

After starring for Rapid Vienna, Sangare signed for RC Lens in Ligue 1 for €8million (including bonuses), with the Austrian club retaining a 10 to 15 per cent sell-on clause. — Tom Burrows, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

Water and Sewer Department leaders urged council members to pass immediate salary adjustments for employees, detailing mounting hurdles in recruiting and retaining qualified personnel amid intense competition from neighboring municipalities. — Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 July 2026

In addition, the company has committed to hiring 37 new full-time positions across both office and warehouse operations, as well as retaining 288 existing Illinois jobs as part of the agreement. — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026

The success of Ascend West Virginia has already spawned a collection of spinoffs aimed at luring out-of-staters and retaining local talent. — Scott Neuman, NPR, 24 July 2026