What is another word for retain?

Synonyms for retain
rɪˈteɪnre·tain

This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word retain.

Wiktionary0.0 / 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 Antonyms1.0 / 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 Antonyms5.0 / 2 votes

  1. retain

    Synonyms:
    keep, hold, restrain

    Antonyms:
    abandon, forfeit, surrender

Princeton's WordNet1.0 / 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

Dictionary of English Synonymes0.0 / 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 Words0.0 / 0 votes

  1. retainverb

    Synonyms:
    keep, hold, reserve

How to pronounce retain?

How to say retain in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
#26have
#132make
#148support
#176book
#246take
#272check
#333control
#400save
#555give
#656keep
#846cover
#1001stay
#1038stop
#1056continue
#1061apply
#1275hold
#1734agree
#2071wait
#2157protect
#2167prevent
#2268reserve
#2412carry
#2422maintain
#2490bear
#2584obtain
#2590remain
#2645conduct
#2700contain
#2977conservation
#3054keeping
#3070reservations
#3538reservation
#3541guard
#4200nurse
#4404throw
#4532extend
#4776harbor
#4975maintaining
#5420moderate
#5628proceed
#6563retention
#6691celebrate
#6750preserve
#6821admit
#6857retain
#7466harbour
#7523arrest
#7591observe
#7739defend
#8016accommodate
#8218retained
#8275bind
#9348declare
#9453concord
#11256sustain
#12551curb
#12790retaining
#13959halt
#14008entertain
#14320obey
#15651retains
#17539refrain
#17822prevail
#18875fulfil
#19121withstand
#19974conserve
#21923deem
#22440uphold
#22480deduct
#23641withhold
#24594conceal
#24755concur
#29768conserving
#29907defy
#30094restrain
#36343confine
#40155detain
#44733oblige
#53932obligate
#90962forbear
#199421adjudge

How to use retain in a sentence?

  1. Pam Gay:

    There were never any missing organs, the lab that does our autopsies has the organs. Coroner's offices don't always have a morgue or a forensic pathologist. We contract those services out. We utilize a team in Allentown. That's who retains the specimens. They don't always tell us what they retain. We made that clear to the family from the beginning.

  2. Eleni Linos:

    As technology becomes more sophisticated and people start to use their phones interactively for an increasing number of daily tasks, it would not be surprising if they also increasingly turned to electronic devices for help with personal, health and safety issues, the phone user needs to retain the power to choose what happens. Every domestic violence and sexual assault situation is different, and the phone won't know if the abuser suddenly re-enters the room, grabs the phone, or starts listening in. It's tempting to say that the phone should automatically dial 9-1-1, but that could lead to an increase in the number of accidental calls, limit emergency services' capacity to respond to actual urgent calls, and worst of all might tip off the perpetrator that his or her victim is trying to get help.

  3. Rebecca Rebarich:

    U.S. naval forces continue to remain vigilant and are trained to act in a professional manner, while our commanding officers retain the inherent right to act in self-defense.

  4. Jennifer Cafarella:

    The initial ISIS dispatch makes connections with local actors and seeks to bring them into the fold, including local civilians and Syrian rebel groups, when these groups pledge allegiance, they submit to ISIS command and control, however appear in some cases to retain their independence as functional units.

  5. Dan Coats:

    We currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain North Korea WMD capabilities, it is unlikely to completely give up North Korea nuclear weapons and production capabilities because North Korea 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.


Translations for retain

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"retain." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/retain>.

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    An antonym for "pesky"
    A pestilent
    B pettish
    C plaguey
    D agreeable

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