re ‧ tain W2 AC /rɪˈteɪn/ BrE AmE verb [transitive] formal
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ retain ; noun : ↑ retention ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: retenir , from Latin retinere , from tenere 'to hold' ]
1 . to keep something or continue to have something:
You have the right to retain possession of the goods.
The state wants to retain control of food imports.
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In everyday English, people usually say keep rather than retain :
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Keep all your receipts.
2 . to store or keep something inside something else:
A lot of information can be retained in your computer.
Limestone is known to retain moisture.
3 . to remember information:
I find it very difficult to retain facts.
4 . if you retain a lawyer or other specialist, you pay them to work for you now and in the future:
He has retained a lawyer to challenge the court’s decision.
We had to pay a retaining fee (=an amount of money to keep someone working for you) .
5 . if a company retains workers, it continues to employ them for a long time:
It’s increasingly difficult to recruit and retain good staff.