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View synonyms for

retention

[ ri-ten-shuhn ]

noun

  1. the act of retaining.
  2. the state of being retained.
  3. the power to retain; capacity for retaining.
  4. the act or power of remembering things; memory.


retention

/ ɪˈɛʃə /

noun

  1. the act of retaining or state of being retained
  2. the capacity to hold or retain liquid
  3. the capacity to remember
  4. pathol the abnormal holding within the body of urine, faeces, etc, that are normally excreted
  5. commerce a sum of money owed to a contractor but not paid for an agreed period as a safeguard against any faults found in the work carried out
  6. plural accounting profits earned by a company but not distributed as dividends; retained earnings
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • ԴDzr·ٱtDz noun
  • v··ٱtDz noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of retention1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English retencion, from Latin ٱԳپō-, stem of ٱԳپō “restraint, withholding,” from retent(us) “held back” (past participle of پŧ “to hold back”; retain ) + -ion
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Word History and Origins

Origin of retention1

C14: from Latin ٱԳپō , from پŧ to retain
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

USC football general manager Chad Bowden is a firm believer in doing the little things to make a difference when it comes to recruiting and player retention.

From

They said that the value of teacher pay had fallen since 2010, which, coupled with "excessive workload", had contributed to a "crisis" in recruitment and retention.

From

That has increased discontent among staff members, who were already upset about cuts to recruitment and retention bonuses that had bolstered officer pay at some of the agency’s hardest-to-staff facilities.

From

“Employers will likely continue to offer these benefits because they are good employee recruitment and retention tools,” Kantrowitz said.

From

The parcel was never delivered and Royal Mail said it had been returned to the US after exceeding its retention period, as a customs fee was not paid.

From

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More About Retention

is retention?

Retention is the act of retaining, that is, holding onto or keeping possession of something, as in Kim noted the plant’s successful retention of water.

Retention is also used to refer to the state of being retained or having the power to retain something, as in The lawyer was outraged by the police’s continued retention of his client.

Retention can also mean that something or someone has the power to retain things, especially a person’s ability to retain information in their memory, as in Weekly testing is done to improve students’ retention of what they have learned.

Example: Justine worked hard to improve the retention of skilled employees at her company.

Where does retention come from?

The first record of retention comes from around 1350. It ultimately comes from the Latin verb پŧ, meaning “to retain.” The verb retain has the same origin.

All of ٱԳپDz’s meanings are commonly used. You’re likely to use this word to talk about how well something is at holding or hanging on to something else. For example, a business’s ability to retain employees or, more importantly, paying customers over time is often a key way to tell if a company is growing or failing.

Did you know … ?

are some other forms related to retention?

  • nonretention (noun)
  • overretention (noun)

are some synonyms for retention?

are some words that share a root or word element with retention?

are some words that often get used in discussing retention?

How is retention used in real life?

Retention is often used to describe something’s ability to hang on to things like memories or customers.

Try using retention!

Which of the following is a synonym of retention?

A. release
B. prevention
C. holding
D. discovery

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