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retain meaning and examples

2025-08-23

Meaning

  • Verb: To keep or continue to have something; to hold in possession, use, or memory.

It can also mean to hire or employ someone (e.g., a lawyer) for services.

Grammar and Usage

  • Verb (transitive):

    • retain + noun → to keep possession of something.
    • retain sb → to hire or employ.

Typical structures:

  • retain control/power/rights
  • retain information/memory
  • retain a lawyer

Common Phrases

  • retain control
  • retain one’s rights
  • retain customers
  • retain in memory
  • retain a lawyer

Collocations

  • Verb + retain: successfully retain, legally retain, continue to retain
  • Noun + retain: retain talent, retain power, retain earnings
  • Adjective + retain: able to retain, eager to retain

Examples

  1. The company struggled to retain its employees.
  2. She has a remarkable ability to retain facts.
  3. They decided to retain their old house.
  4. He retained control of the project.
  5. The king retained his power despite the revolution.
  6. The firm was retained to handle the legal case.
  7. It’s important to retain customers in business.
  8. The student retained what she had learned for the exam.
  • keep, hold, preserve, maintain, employ, hire.