2 to keep or continue to have something, especially a position or money, or control of something:
Salespeople have developed novel ways to use the Web to reach or retain customers.
You retain the right to take legal action if you do not accept his decision.
retain control/ownership/possession The group will retain control of the business.
retain a stake/an interest The family retains a minority stake in the company.
retain your job/post Atkinson retained his post in the enlarged banking group.
3 to continue to employ people in a company or organization:
retain staff/talent/employees We will retain all of the employees currently employed at the plant.
Companies will achieve a competitive advantage by attracting and retaining the best talent.
Recruiting and retaining good staff will be among his top priorities.
4 to employ a lawyer, consultant (= someone paid to give expert advice or training), etc. by paying them before you need them:
The contractor had failed to disclose that he had retained an outside lobbyist.
Smith had retained a lawyer and filed a complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
retain sb as sth Van Hellemond resigned, though the NHL has retained him as a consultant.
5 to keep a record, document, etc. that might be needed in the future:
He will retain the honorary title of non-executive chairman.
When they divorced she retained a legal interest in the property.
The villagers retain a strong attachment to their traditional customs.
The management retains the right to refuse admission.
Authors should retain a copy of the original manuscript.
In doing so, the agent should retain more preferred beliefs in favor of less preferred ones wherever coherence permits.
In this early period, the government did not intervene in such activities as long as they retained a purely philanthropic goal.
