retain
gb/ɹɪtˈeɪn/ us/ɹɪtˈeɪn/
B2
Engleză
~ 1600
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Verb
B2
action
1
Continue to have something
To keep something and not give it away or lose it.
Tipar de utilizare:
to retain [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes use 'retain' in casual contexts where 'keep' is more natural, making the sentence sound overly formal.
Sinonime
keep (More common and general in everyday speech; 'retain' is slightly more formal.)
Antonime
lose (Opposite in meaning; to no longer have something.)
Colocații
retain control
|retain ownership
|retain rights
|retain information
|retain possession
Teme
daily life
|business
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- She worked hard to retain her position at the company.
- The team managed to retain control of the ball.
- You should drink water to retain your energy during the hike.
- The organization will retain ownership of the building.
- He retained possession of the key documents.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- I want to retain my job.
- She retained her old books.
- We must retain this land.
- They try to retain their customers.
- He retained his seat on the bus.
Verb
B2
action
2
Keep information in memory
To remember information for some time.
Tipar de utilizare:
to retain [information/knowledge/facts]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may confuse 'retain' with 'memorize'; 'memorize' is about learning, while 'retain' is about keeping that knowledge over time.
Sinonime
remember ('Remember' is more common and less formal; 'retain' suggests holding knowledge over time.)
Antonime
forget (Opposite in meaning; to be unable to remember information.)
Colocații
retain knowledge
|retain memory
|retain facts
|retain details
Teme
education
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- It's difficult to retain so many dates for the history exam.
- Children can retain new words more easily than adults.
- She retains a lot of information from her college days.
- I can't retain all these technical terms.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- I can retain many English words.
- He retains what he reads.
- She cannot retain numbers well.
- We retain facts from school.
Verb
formal
C1
action
3
Keep someone’s professional services
To pay someone, like a lawyer, so they will work for you when needed.
Tipar de utilizare:
to retain [someone/professional]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may think 'retain' here means 'keep possession of'; in this context, it means to keep paying for someone's services.
Sinonime
hire ('Hire' is more general; 'retain' is used especially for ongoing professional services.)
Antonime
dismiss (Opposite in meaning; to end someone's employment or services.)
Colocații
retain a lawyer
|retain an advisor
|retain a consultant
Teme
business
|law
Exemple
- The company decided to retain its legal counsel for another year.
- We retained a consultant to help with the project.
- She retained the same financial advisor for over a decade.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- I will retain a lawyer for my case.
- They retained an expert for advice.
- We retained a teacher for extra lessons.
Verb
technical
B2
action
4
Hold liquid, heat, etc.
To hold liquid, heat, or another thing inside and not let it go.
Tipar de utilizare:
to retain [heat/moisture/liquid]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners might confuse 'retain' with 'absorb'; but something can absorb and not necessarily keep it for long.
Sinonime
absorb ('Absorb' means take in; 'retain' means both take in and keep.)
Antonime
release (Opposite in meaning; to let go of what is held inside.)
Colocații
retain heat
|retain moisture
|retain water
Teme
science
|cooking
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- The walls are designed to retain heat in winter.
- This soil retains water well after rain.
- The towel retains moisture even after being wrung out.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The pot retains heat for hours.
- This sponge retains water well.
- The soil retains moisture.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
retain
IPA
GB/ɹɪtˈeɪn/
US/ɹɪtˈeɪn/
Silabe și accent
re - tain (2 silabe)
Stress on 2nd syllable (tain)
Forme ale cuvântului
Verb
- Base: retain
- 3rd Person Singular: retains
- Present Participle: retaining
- Past: retained
Familie de cuvinte
Forms
retains
verb
retaining
verb
retained
verb
Core family
retention
noun B2
Related words
retainer
noun
retentive
adjective
Advanced or less common
retainable
adjective
Expresii
retain control
1/ɹɪtˈeɪn kəntɹˈoʊl/
fixed phrase
Continue having authority or influence
To keep power over something or someone and not lose it.
Exemple
- Despite the challenges, she managed to retain control of the project.
- The army retained control of the region after the conflict.
retain ownership
1/ɹɪtˈeɪn ˈoʊnɚʃˌɪp/
fixed phrase
Continue having legal possession
To keep legal rights over property or something you own.
Exemple
- They sold part of the business but retained ownership of the main brand.
- You can lease the land but still retain ownership.
retain rights
1/ɹɪtˈeɪn ɹˈaɪts/
fixed phrase
Continue having entitlements
To keep your legal or moral right to something.
Exemple
- Authors usually retain rights to their work under this contract.
- She retains rights over the songs she wrote.