Synonyms for retain
rɪˈteɪnre·tain

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retainverb

   Synonyms:
   keep

2. retainverb

   To keep in possession or use.

   Synonyms:
   keep

3. retainverb

   To keep in one's pay or service.

   Synonyms:
   keep

4. retainverb

   To employ by paying a retainer.

   Synonyms:
   keep

5. retainverb

   To hold secure.

   Synonyms:
   keep

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. retain

   Keep, signifying generally to have and retain in possession, is the terse, strong Saxon term for many acts which are more exactly discriminated by other words. We keep, observe, or celebrate a festival; we keep or hold a prisoner in custody; we keep or preserve silence, keep the peace, preserve order — preserve being the more formal word; we keep or maintain a horse, a servant, etc.; a man supports his family; we keep or obey a commandment; keep or fulfil a promise. In the expressions to keep a secret, keep one's own counsel, keep faith, or keep the faith, such words as preserve or maintain could not be substituted without loss. A person keeps a shop or store, conducts or carries on a business; he keeps or carries a certain line of goods; we may keep or restrain one from folly, crime, or violence; we keep from or refrain from evil, ourselves. Keep in the sense of guard or defend implies that the defense is effectual. Compare CELEBRATE; RESTRAIN.

   Synonyms:
   carry, carry on, celebrate, conduct, defend, detain, fulfil, guard, hold, keep, maintain, obey, observe, preserve, protect, refrain, restrain, support, sustain, withhold

   Preposition:
   Keep in hand, in mind, in or within the house; from evil; out of mischief; keep to the subject; keep for a person, an occasion, etc.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 2 votes

1. retain

   Synonyms:
   keep, hold, restrain

   Antonyms:
   abandon, forfeit, surrender

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. retainverb

   hold back within

   "This soil retains water"; "I retain this drug for a long time"; "the dam retains the water"

   Synonyms:
   keep on, continue, keep back, hold back, hold, keep

2. retain, continue, keep, keep onverb

   allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature

   "We cannot continue several servants any longer"; "She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long as we could"; "She retained her composure"; "this garment retains its shape even after many washings"

   Synonyms:
   go along, keep on, celebrate, remain, stay on, go on, stay, carry on, keep, cover, hold back, save, hold, hold on, persist in, go forward, prevent, keep open, uphold, extend, keep back, proceed, maintain, hold open, restrain, observe, bear on, preserve, sustain, continue, stay fresh

3. retain, hold, keep back, hold backverb

   secure and keep for possible future use or application

   "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree"

   Synonyms:
   accommodate, wait, book, withhold, moderate, view as, support, apply, hold back, harbour, defend, take hold, bind, deem, hold up, continue, hold off, take, have, concord, check, make, admit, go for, take for, throw, defy, control, turn back, harbor, keep, obligate, carry, give, adjudge, entertain, forbear, nurse, oblige, curb, hold, conceal, confine, have got, arrest, restrain, withstand, agree, hold in, halt, contain, keep on, concur, maintain, guard, keep back, sustain, prevail, reserve, obtain, declare, stop, bear

4. retainverb

   keep in one's mind

   "I cannot retain so much information"

   Synonyms:
   keep on, continue, keep back, hold back, hold, keep

Matched Categories

1. • Hold
   • Prolong
   • Remember

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retainverb

   Synonyms:
   hold, keep, reserve, detain, hug, keep back, keep in hand

2. retainverb

   Synonyms:
   engage (by fee paid), hire

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retainverb

   Synonyms:
   keep, hold, reserve

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "retain":

   maintain, keep, conserve, preserve, retaining, withhold, retention, reservations, maintaining, sustain, conserving, hold, remain, retains, deduct, reservation, retained, keeping, conservation

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How to use retain in a sentence?

1. PGA Tour:

   This is an important issue for golf and one which needs to be addressed if the sport is to retain its unique challenge and appeal.

2. Dan Coats:

   Having said that, we currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities because its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival, our assessment is bolstered by our observations of some activity that is inconsistent with full denuclearization.

3. Angelique Hilaire:

   I can't afford to rent anywhere else, every time it rains I pray to God for it to stop. But what can I do ? Even a short downpour can leave the capital flooded as piles of rubbish on the streets and debris filled canals block drains, which exacerbates flooding. Natural disasters linked to climate change will only get more frequent and extreme in the future, experts say. Decades of deforestation have left Haiti even more exposed to natural disasters, with less than three percent of its original forest cover still intact, according to the UNDP. This causes soil erosion and reduces the ability of soil to retain water, making Haiti more vulnerable to flooding and landslides. During heavy rainfall, there are few trees to stop water washing down the bare mountains. While 5.5 million tree seedlings have been planted in Haiti by the UNDP since 2010, not enough has been done to stop people cutting down trees in the first place. Selling charcoal, which comes from burning wood, is used for cooking and is a key source of income for many Haitians living in the countryside. .

4. Alec Litowitz:

   Blackstone's investment provides a catalyst that will help us... continuing to attract and retain key talent, increasing investment in funds and deepening relationship with a leader in the alternative asset management sector.

5. Alexandre Dolci:

   Month-end profit-taking could ultimately lend a hand to the dollar today to conclude a very difficult April for the dollar, overall we do not expect this trend to have much longer legs in May, as in our view April’s dollar correction could have instead gone too far, too quick, although we retain a bearish dollar bias for the long run.