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
While the United States retains extraordinary capabilities, the number of those weapons available and the ability to replace them are more limited.
—
James Laporta, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
According to Israeli security officials, intelligence assessments suggest Iran still retains a ballistic missile arsenal in the thousands.
—Ian Pannell, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
The i7 retains a 400 V electrical architecture but switches to a NACS port and sees an increase in maximum charging power from 195 kW to 250 kW thanks to the new cells.
—Stephen Edelstein, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
The private-sector support bolsters multimedia coverage of climate change through digital, video and print stories from the Miami Herald, which retains editorial control of all content.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
The Star-Telegram retains independence in all coverage decisions.
—Lina Ruiz
april 22, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
For a more complete base-building experience that still retains a reasonable amount of verisimilitude, Surviving Mars is the best choice.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Precision is vital in neurosurgery, where even a single millimeter can determine whether a patient retains the ability to speak or move.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 2026
But the plot also retains a serial quality that saps momentum and betrays its TV roots.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
James Laporta, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
According to Israeli security officials, intelligence assessments suggest Iran still retains a ballistic missile arsenal in the thousands.
—Ian Pannell, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
The i7 retains a 400 V electrical architecture but switches to a NACS port and sees an increase in maximum charging power from 195 kW to 250 kW thanks to the new cells.
—Stephen Edelstein, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
The private-sector support bolsters multimedia coverage of climate change through digital, video and print stories from the Miami Herald, which retains editorial control of all content.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
The Star-Telegram retains independence in all coverage decisions.
—Lina Ruiz
april 22, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
For a more complete base-building experience that still retains a reasonable amount of verisimilitude, Surviving Mars is the best choice.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Precision is vital in neurosurgery, where even a single millimeter can determine whether a patient retains the ability to speak or move.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 2026
But the plot also retains a serial quality that saps momentum and betrays its TV roots.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retains
Verb
-
After three verse-chorus repetitions, the quartet stop the song cold and set off in a new direction, churning out pure noise even as drummer Steve Shelley keeps everyone anchored.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In comparable territory, The Outsiders keeps things earnest, and even Stranger Things, for all its loopiness, plays its baby-monster antihero story tragic and straight.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Charles was also greeted by Kimberley Harris, executive vice president of Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns NBC News.—
Emma Caughlan,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
-
As the Ado Annie-like Betsy, a horny teen-ager whose father owns a shotgun, Kurtz is playing a character who should be, and kind of is, a one-joke punch line.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This elliptical, enigmatic sentence, with its palindromic form (not unlike that of the Heart Sutra), signals the main thrust of Pau’s work, which employs structures of looping, repetition, and recursion to explore the space of ambiguity and uncertainty.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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Currently, Zhang’s shop employs about 20 dim sum chefs.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Unlike most other races on the ballot, the June 2 election is not a primary and will determine who holds the board seat through June 2030.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
-
Forecasters aren't sure what the future holds.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Earnings from India’s bellwether software services exporters have reinforced investor concerns about the sector’s growth prospects, signaling that the downturn in their stocks has further to run.—
Ashutosh Joshi,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Lincoln-Way West’s Owen Chudzinski has a love for baseball that goes back a long way.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This news soon wings its way to Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), the magazine’s publisher, who hires her to be Runway’s features editor.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The board also hires the district's superintendent, who reports directly to the board and oversees the district's day-to-day operations.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Inter Miami defeated Orlando 4-2 at Inter&Co Stadium in March and possesses the firepower to replicate that result.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
The Higgs field also possesses electroweak and hypercharge.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Senior Anglers group enjoys freshwater and saltwater fishing, camping, boating and environmental conservation.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
The bill enjoys bipartisan sponsorship and unanimous committee support because the math is straightforward and the need is obvious.—
Jennifer Mahr,
Hartford Courant,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retains. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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