Meaning & use
retaining
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“retaining” is a form of “retain”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Present participle of retain: continuing to have, keep or hold something rather than losing it.
Grammar: Takes an object: retaining customers.
Patterns
- retain something
- retain something for something
The company is retaining its best staff with higher pay.
Soil that is rich in clay is good at retaining water.
She is retaining the title for a second year.
verbtransitive
Present participle of retain: remembering information well and being able to recall it later.
Grammar: Takes an object, often information or facts.
Patterns
- retain information
Students are retaining more when lessons include practice.
He has trouble retaining new names.
Older readers are retaining the plot despite the long gaps.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Used before a noun to describe a structure that holds back earth or water.
Grammar: Only used before a noun: a retaining wall.
Patterns
- retaining wall
The retaining wall stopped the hillside from sliding.
Workers built a retaining wall beside the road.
A low retaining wall surrounds the garden.
Word forms
| base form | retain |
|---|---|
| third person singular | retains |
| past tense | retained |
Common combinations
- retaining wall
- A retaining wall keeps the soil from sliding.
- retaining customers
- Retaining customers is cheaper than finding new ones.
- retaining water
- Plants are good at retaining water in dry soil.
- retaining heat
- Thick bricks are good at retaining heat.
- retaining information
- Sleep helps with retaining information.
Synonyms and how they differ
- keeping
- Keeping is the casual everyday word, while retaining sounds more formal and suggests holding on despite pressure to lose.
- holding
- Holding stresses physical or financial possession, while retaining often suggests not letting go.
- preserving
- Preserving suggests protecting something in its present condition.
- remembering
- Remembering is about recall, while retaining stresses keeping information stored over time.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: retaining or detaining?
retaining vs detaining
Detaining means holding someone, such as by police, while retaining means keeping or not losing something.
Practice
The company is giving bonuses to focus on ____ its most experienced engineers.
Choose one answer.
Retaining means keeping them rather than losing them. Releasing would mean letting them go, which is the opposite of the aim.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “retaining”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.