1
as in keeps
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in owns
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 employs
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 retains
Vance continues to hold a commanding early lead in polling and retains strong support from the party’s base.
—
Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
—Jessica Ma, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
The house retains classic charm with its hardwood floors and original trim, and the bathroom has a soaking tub.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 19 Mar. 2026
Their design retains the building’s original windows and structural character, respects the past while achieving optimal acoustic performance.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
The sponsor retains responsibility for the content and holds the copyright to their material.
—Phan Khang, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
For now, King retains his longtime employees, who, in the wake of the lawsuits and investigations, receive higher wages.
—Boyce Upholt, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
IDrive retains the previous 10 file versions forever, and Acronis True Image includes extensive versioning capabilities for no additional cost.
—Justin Pot, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026
This slow, low-temperature pasteurization method retains the milk’s fresh flavor and creaminess; higher temperatures destroy volatile aromatic compounds and denature milk proteins.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
—Jessica Ma, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
The house retains classic charm with its hardwood floors and original trim, and the bathroom has a soaking tub.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 19 Mar. 2026
Their design retains the building’s original windows and structural character, respects the past while achieving optimal acoustic performance.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
The sponsor retains responsibility for the content and holds the copyright to their material.
—Phan Khang, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
For now, King retains his longtime employees, who, in the wake of the lawsuits and investigations, receive higher wages.
—Boyce Upholt, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
IDrive retains the previous 10 file versions forever, and Acronis True Image includes extensive versioning capabilities for no additional cost.
—Justin Pot, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026
This slow, low-temperature pasteurization method retains the milk’s fresh flavor and creaminess; higher temperatures destroy volatile aromatic compounds and denature milk proteins.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retains
Verb
-
For basic productivity and portability, this Chromebook keeps things refreshingly straightforward.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
O’Sullivan keeps his Apple TV boxes, EverPass set, DirecTV receiver, and the knob-pocked board connecting them, along with more than a dozen cables, behind the bar, not far from the receipt printer—and the tequila.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His family owns 2,300 acres, including the house his grandparents built.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Jurors sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta — which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp — prioritized profits over safety.—
Barbara Ortutay,
Fortune,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Wade now will join the renegade row of coaches at LSU, which also employs football rapscallion Lane Kiffin and women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The worker, who didn’t want her name used because she was not authorized to speak with reporters, has been doing this all without a paycheck, because a partial federal shutdown has halted funding to the agency that employs her, the Department of Homeland Security.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Helium producers in North America — which holds the largest share of the market — are set to benefit from the disruption to Qatar’s supply, but Russia — the third largest helium supplier — could also gain.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
For those whose days of hair-banking possibility are long behind them, autologous fat grafting holds some promise.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Today, most of humanity only has access to a heavily polluted sky rather than the pristine views our ancestors enjoyed, but that sense of awe and wonder still remains.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Newton’s third law of motion, where every action has an equal and opposite reaction, is the basis for many applications in the world.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Charles was an employee of Transdev, the contracting company that manages trains, buses and hires drivers.—
Anna Meiler,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Meta hires founders of AI startup Dreamer.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
He, of course, would be welcomed back and possesses a skill set that NBA teams are intrigued by.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Rosatom also possesses the know-how to build small modular reactors (SMRs), which Vietnam is considering for its nuclear energy portfolio in the future.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At home, the family still enjoys the simple joys of cooking.—
Jenna Thompson
March 27,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Who should attend The Pitch is for anyone who cares about improving our community — and enjoys a little competition.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retains. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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