Word Meanings - RETAIN - Book Publishers vocabulary database

1. To continue to hold; to keep in possession; not to lose, part with, or dismiss; to retrain from departure, escape, or the like. "Thy shape invisibleretain." Shak. Be obedient, and retain Unalterably firm his love entire. Milton. An executor

Additional info about word: RETAIN

1. To continue to hold; to keep in possession; not to lose, part with, or dismiss; to retrain from departure, escape, or the like. "Thy shape invisibleretain." Shak. Be obedient, and retain Unalterably firm his love entire. Milton. An executor may retain a debt due to him from the testator. Blackstone. 2. To keep in pay; to employ by a preliminary fee paid; to hire; to engage; as, to retain a counselor. A Benedictine convent has now retained the most learned father of their order to write in its defense. Addison. 3. To restrain; to prevent. Sir W. Temple. Retaining wall , a wall built to keep any movable backing, or a bank of sand or earth, in its place; -- called also retain wall. Syn. -- To keep; hold; retrain. See Keep.

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of RETAIN)

• Grasp
• Seize
• hold
• clasp
• retain
• comprehend
• catch
• grip
• clutch
• grapple
• Grudge
• Spare
• covet
• envy
• withhold
• Hold
• Keep
• grasp
• support
• restrain
• defend
• maintain
• occupy
• possess
• sustain
• regard
• consider
• cohere
• continue
• have
• detain
• guard
• preserve
• suppress
• repress
• conceal
• tend
• conduct
• obey
• haunt
• observe
• frequent
• celebrate
• protect
• adhere to
• practise
• binder
• Remember
• Recollect
• recall
• bear in mind
• mind

Possible antonyms: (opposite words of RETAIN)

• Liberate
• release
• emancipate
• Miss
• overlook
• disregard
• despise
• dislike
• contemn
• hate
• loathe
• misconsider
• misconceive
• misestimate
• misjudge
• Spend
• squander
• waste
• lavish
• scatter
• expend
• pour
• indulge
• vent
• Drop
• betray
• surrender
• abandon
• discontinue
• oppose
• discourage
• weaken
• exhaust
• thwart
• discountenance
• disfavor
• subvert
• suppress

Related words: (words related to RETAIN)

• DISREGARDFULLY
  Negligently; heedlessly.
• FREQUENTATIVE
  Serving to express the frequent repetition of an action; as, a frequentative verb. -- n.
• MAINTAIN
  by the hand; main hand + F. tenir to hold . See 1. To hold or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; to uphold; to keep up; not to suffer to fail or decline; as, to maintain a certain degree of heat in a furnace;
• SUSTAIN
  F. soutenir (the French prefix is properly fr. L. subtus below, fr. sub under), L. sustinere; pref. sus- + tenere to hold. See 1. To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; a beast sustains
• SUPPORTABLE
  Capable of being supported, maintained, or endured; endurable. -- Sup*port"a*ble*ness, n. -- Sup*port"a*bly, adv.
• MISJUDGE
  To judge erroneously or unjustly; to err in judgment; to misconstrue.
• POSSESSIVE
  Of or pertaining to possession; having or indicating possession. Possessive case , the genitive case; the case of nouns and pronouns which expresses ownership, origin, or some possessive relation of one thing to another; as, Homer's admirers; the
• GUARDIAN
  One who has, or is entitled to, the custody of the person or property of an infant, a minor without living parents, or a person incapable of managing his own affairs. Of the several species of guardians, the first are guardians by nature. -- viz.,
• GUARDIANSHIP
  The office, duty, or care, of a guardian; protection; care; watch.
• WASTEL
  A kind of white and fine bread or cake; -- called also wastel bread, and wastel cake. Roasted flesh or milk and wasted bread. Chaucer. The simnel bread and wastel cakes, which were only used at the tables of the highest nobility. Sir W. Scott.
• SUPPORTATION
  Maintenance; support. Chaucer. Bacon.
• RELEASE
  To lease again; to grant a new lease of; to let back.
• RESTRAINABLE
  Capable of being restrained; controllable. Sir T. Browne.
• LAVISHNESS
  The quality or state of being lavish.
• CONSIDERINGLY
  With consideration or deliberation.
• WASTETHRIFT
  A spendthrift.
• SPENDTHRIFT
  One who spends money profusely or improvidently; a prodigal; one who lavishes or wastes his estate. Also used figuratively. A woman who was a generous spendthrift of life. Mrs. R. H. Davis.
• GUARDIANESS
  A female guardian. I have placed a trusty, watchful guardianess. Beau. & Fl.
• LAVISHER
  One who lavishes.
• SUPPRESSOR
  One who suppresses.
• ALKALI WASTE
  Waste material from the manufacture of alkali; specif., soda waste.
• BESCATTER
  1. To scatter over. 2. To cover sparsely by scattering ; to strew. "With flowers bescattered." Spenser.
• SAFE-CONDUCT
  That which gives a safe, passage; either a convoy or guard to protect a person in an enemy's country or a foreign country, or a writing, pass, or warrant of security, given to a person to enable him to travel with safety. Shak.
• OVERFREQUENT
  Too frequent.
• SCATCH
  A kind of bit for the bridle of a horse; -- called also scatchmouth. Bailey.
• OVERWASTED
  Wasted or worn out; Drayton.
• CHAUNTERIE
  See CHAUCER
• MISREMEMBER
  To mistake in remembering; not to remember correctly. Sir T. More.