retained 1 of 2

adjective

as in possessed

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Investment banks JPMorgan Chase and Raine Group were retained to assist with the process. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Ultimately, though, Cramer retained the Club's shares because of his trust in the veteran leadership team of CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026 Instead, Denver retained possession and capitalized on the erroneous call to win. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 The data is used only for training, and ownership is retained by the company that created it, Koerte explains. — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026 The application needed to determine who had access to which systems, how that access was granted and whether it should be retained. — Nada Usina, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026 There’s no mention of it being retained as a football ground, and in the diagrams seen by residents, the current centre circle appears framed by residential blocks. — Andy Mitten, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 The Academy became a subsidiary of Drexel, but retained its own board and 501c3 organizational status. — Andrew Stelzer, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026 In periods of mild dehydration, when fluids need to be better retained. — Veronica Cristino, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retained
  1. possessed
  2. kept
  3. owned
  4. employed
  5. held
  6. had
  7. hired
  8. preserved
Adjective
  • When the possessed Katie eventually joins the family in Albuquerque, New Mexico, there is much Catholic prayer on the part of Larissa’s mother Carmen (Verónica Falcón).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of possessed
Verb
  • Two weeks into fighting, the unforgiving mountainous terrain, heavy Saudi and government air power, and a reenergized anti-Houthi coalition have kept the Houthi advance in check, preventing a collapse on the level of that in mid-September.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Economics from other streams, such as concessions, on-site merchandise sales, parking and premium seating are overwhelmingly kept by the home team, and that’s largely what’s missed with the London games.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of kept
Verb
  • Sentara Health, a hospital system in Virginia with more than $14 billion of revenue, recently went through a contract dispute with Anthem, the health plan owned by Elevance Health.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • There is a perception that vineyards and wineries are owned by rich people who don’t need help from the government to survive.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of owned
Verb
  • That has been the model employed by Strategy and numerous copycat DATs, which have counted on steadily rising asset prices to issue new shares that pay for their operating costs.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Stefani has contested that characterization, saying Mo was lawfully employed by the California Legislature.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 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
  • My suite was beyond spacious, with a full entryway with desk and wetbar giving way to a seating area; large, plush bed; then a closet and vanity area leading into a massive bathroom—which had a full soaking tub and two pedestal sinks.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The Boss Bottled Beyond fragrance had an avant-première in travel retail, for example.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of had
Verb
  • The film, billed as a biographical dramedy, tells the story of a chaotic boardroom crisis at OpenAI in November 2023, when co-founder Altman was fired and then re-hired at the AI giant.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Claire, who always longed to be involved in baseball, expressed interest in the job and was hired as a public relations assistant, remaining in the position until 1975, when he was promoted to vice president of public relations.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of hired
Verb
  • Many of the original details at the seven-bedroom estate have been preserved.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 6 Oct. 2026
  • But wouldn’t any text transcripts generated by a smart home camera or smartwatch count as preserved and reviewable?
    — Victoria Song, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of preserved

Browse Nearby Words

retain
retained
retainer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Retained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retained. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All