retained 1 of 2

adjective

as in possessed

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retained

2 of 2

verb

past tense of retain
1
as in kept
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

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2
as in owned
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

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3
as in employed
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of retained
Adjective
No Kansas justice has ever been non-retained. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2026
Verb
Elsewhere, Wrexham and Birmingham City, promoted together from League One in 2025, are looking to improve once again, while Millwall and Derby County have retained the core of the squads that finished third and eighth respectively in May. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 And when the researchers moved the reward around within the familiar surroundings, the cell body adjusted quickly, while certain dendrites retained remnants of the earlier activity. — Ajdina Halilovic, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2026 When researchers tested concrete masonry walls with fire on one face, those walls retained roughly 46% of their compressive strength, enough that they can be stabilized and repaired. — Giorgia Giardina, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026 What’s more, the team’s long-time control owners, the Buss family, retained an approximately 15% stake in the club. — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 13 Aug. 2026 But execs have spoken informally to banks about their options, though the company hasn’t formally retained a banker, generally a key early step in an M&A process. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026 And in October, demolition permits indicated the facade would be retained. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2026 Once a private mansion belonging to art collectors Édouard André and his wife Nélie Jacquemart, the museum dates from the late 19th century, and its café has retained much of the original residence’s grandeur. — Amy Bradford, Architectural Digest, 5 Aug. 2026 Some existing amenities, like the regulation tennis court, will be retained—and a trendy padel court is being considered—but the project is still in its infancy. — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retained
  1. possessed
  2. kept
  3. owned
  4. employed
  5. held
  6. had
  7. hired
  8. preserved
Adjective
  • Religious horror films offer narratives of meaning, mystery, and morality, shaping how power, belief, and the body—both pure and possessed—are understood.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 July 2026
  • But no homes are so possessed with pottery of the truly enormous variety as Jeremiah Brent and Nate Berkus, whose Portuguese farmhouse appears on the cover of our June issue.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 May 2026
Definition of possessed
Verb
  • But what makes Espi different, and why was his move to the Bernabeu kept under wraps?
    — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Fantastic Geese covers aside, Love has kept busy over the past year.
    — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of kept
Verb
  • The land, owned by the Memmen family, has been earmarked for development since the 1980s, but some neighbors aren't happy to see those plans coming to fruition.
    — Olivia Young, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Five years later, Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures ponied up the cash and teamed up with Paramount Pictures, who still owned the rights to the script, to finance the film.
    — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of owned
Verb
  • Within that, the number of people classifying themselves as employed fell 87k while the number of people classifying themselves as unemployed fell 178k.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
  • That sensitivity is reflected in the adorable strategy Hunnam employed to detox from playing Gein throughout the production.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of employed
Verb
  • The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.
    — Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
    — Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025
Definition of held
Verb
  • In 1996, 65% of public safety employees had nine or fewer years on the job.
    — Mariana Trujillo, Oc Register, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Washington himself had hundreds of slaves at his home and plantation in Virginia.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of had
Verb
  • The group, which oversees competitive swimming from the youth to Olympic level, hired former University of Delaware athletics director Chrissi Rawak as CEO in February 2025.
    — Matt Moret, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Yet, to Alice’s great frustration, she has not been hired as the team’s head coach, watching instead as the job went to Ted.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of hired
Verb
  • But, rather than demolish the historic bridge, it was preserved and given a new purpose.
    — Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • To be classified as a special interest vehicle, a car must be unaltered from the way it was originally manufactured and preserved as a leisure pursuit, per current law.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of preserved

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Cite this Entry

“Retained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retained. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of retained for Spanish Speakers

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