retain

[Re*tainĀ·]

Retain means to hold on to or keep. People who can retain a lot of information are often mistaken for geniuses, but really they just have very good memories.

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To continue to hold; to keep in possession; not to lose, part with, or dismiss; to retrain from departure, escape, or the like.

Verb
keep in one''s mind; "I cannot retain so much information"

Verb
secure and keep for possible future use or application; "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree"

Verb
allow to remain in a place or position; "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

Verb
hold within; "This soil retains water"; "I retain this drug for a long time"


v. t.
To continue to hold; to keep in possession; not to lose, part with, or dismiss; to retrain from departure, escape, or the like.

v. t.
To keep in pay; to employ by a preliminary fee paid; to hire; to engage; as, to retain a counselor.

v. t.
To restrain; to prevent.

v. i.
To belong; to pertain.

v. i.
To keep; to continue; to remain.


Retain

Re*tain" , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Retained ; p. pr. & vb. n. Retaining.] [F. retainir, L. retinere; pref. re- re- + tenere to hold, keep. See Tenable, and cf. Rein of a bridle, Retention, Retinue.] 1. To continue to hold; to keep in possession; not to lose, part with, or dismiss; to retrain from departure, escape, or the like. "Thy shape invisibleretain." Shak.
Be obedient, and retain Unalterably firm his love entire.
An executor may retain a debt due to him from the testator.
2. To keep in pay; to employ by a preliminary fee paid; to hire; to engage; as, to retain a counselor.
A Benedictine convent has now retained the most learned father of their order to write in its defense.
3. To restrain; to prevent. [Obs.] Sir W. Temple. Retaining wall (Arch. & Engin.), a wall built to keep any movable backing, or a bank of sand or earth, in its place; -- called also retain wall. Syn. -- To keep; hold; retrain. See Keep.

Retain

Re*tain", v. i. 1. To belong; to pertain. [Obs.]
A somewhat languid relish, retaining to bitterness.
2. To keep; to continue; to remain. [Obs.] Donne.

To continue to hold; to keep in possession; not to lose, part with, or dismiss; to retrain from departure, escape, or the like.

To belong; to pertain.

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Usage Examples

Employees are a company's greatest asset - they're your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company's mission.

He that fails in his endeavors after wealth or power will not long retain either honesty or courage.

I think experience will teach you a combination of liberalism and conservatism. We have to be progressive and at the same time we have to retain values. We have to hold onto the past as we explore the future.

All great enterprises have a pearl of faith at their core, and this must be ours: that Americans are still a people born to liberty. That they retain the capacity for self-government. That, addressed as free-born, autonomous men and women of God-given dignity, they will rise yet again to drive back a mortal enemy.

I try to give the media as many confusing images as I can to retain my freedom. What's real is for my children and the people I live with.

God sent Jesus as an example to see if we could retain and maintain the Holy Spirit in human flesh.

If America wants to retain its position as a global power, its president must listen to the people and show strong leadership at this turning point in human history.

I'm quite good at taking in information so I voraciously inhale Wikipedia - which may have some things wrong in it, but I think is generally more information than we had before. Last tour we didn't have Wikipedia. And then Discovery Channel and History Channel. I can take it in and retain what I think are the most important facts.

Misspelled Form

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Other Usage Examples

Perhaps, to the uninformed, it may appear unaccountable that a man should be able to retain in his memory such a variety of learning but the close alliance with each other, of the different branches of science, will explain the difficulty.

Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away.

I think it's best if there's an amendment that goes on the ballot where the people can weigh in. Every time this issue has gone on the ballot, the people have voted to retain the traditional definition of marriage as recently as California in 2008.

It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes.

I think it's important for people who love music to retain physical CDs or even vinyl, because it sounds so great and so much warmer than music over the internet.

As long as I retain my feeling and my passion for Nature, I can partly soften or subdue my other passions and resist or endure those of others.

Concepts, like individuals, have their histories and are just as incapable of withstanding the ravages of time as are individuals. But in and through all this they retain a kind of homesickness for the scenes of their childhood.

I consider Bush's decision to call for a war against terrorism a serious mistake. He is elevating these criminals to the status of war enemies, and one cannot lead a war against a network if the term war is to retain any definite meaning.

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