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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

  • nonretention noun
  • overretention 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.

She believes delivering more flexible working options for teachers - especially those who are new parents - is going to be key to addressing ongoing issues with recruitment and retention in the profession.

From

The University of Leicester's study into police retention of investigative materials, found three quarters of lawyers it surveyed had worked on a criminal conviction where evidence had been lost, destroyed or contaminated.

From

The county record retention guidelines make no mention of text messages but say that routine “administrative records” are supposed to be kept for two years.

From

She was not involved with hiring and retention efforts.

From

The review highlights the need to tackle the crises in recruitment, retention and low morale.

From

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When To Use

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.

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