retained

American

[ri-teynd] / rɪˈteɪnd /

adjective

not lost, destroyed, released, sold, or given away; kept.

The vendor overvalued both the sold 1,790 acres and the retained 566 acres of Green Meadows.
kept in use or practice; continued or preserved.

We are proud of the retained traditions of entrepreneurship of our ancestors, their respectful and careful attitude to land and craft.
(of something perceived or learned) remembered or kept in mind.

They get taught it in basic training, but without constant practice, land navigation is not a retained skill for the average soldier.
engaged for service, often by payment of a preliminary fee.

To apply for this opportunity in confidence, send your resume and remuneration details to the retained consultants, Kirk & Paulson Consulting Ltd., for an initial interview.
kept in check or held in place; held back.

On completion of the dam, the retained water was diverted for irrigation via two canals.
Medicine/Medical. kept in the body, especially abnormally; not expelled or eliminated.

Three weeks after delivery I was back in the hospital, seriously ill and having a D&C to remove a retained placenta.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of retain.

Other Word Forms

unretained adjective

Etymology

Origin of retained

retain ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Deflation meant that a stock that retained its nominal value was actually rising in value.

From Barron's • Apr. 19, 2026

Iran has retained thousands of medium-range and short-missiles and is retrieving the launchers from underground storage areas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

The plans lodged with Aberdeen City Council propose installing escalators going up and down, while normal stairs will be retained on either side.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

It’s for the best, in the long run, that the Ethics Committee appears to have retained control over these cases amid the ongoing call for blood.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026

In some areas the original local domesticates were retained alongside the far more productive Mexican trinity, but in other areas the trinity replaced them completely.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023