retain

«retain» in Mova's school dictionary: to keep something and not lose it or give it away — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (retain, retains, retained, retaining)

meaning for a pupil

1) To retain is to keep something and not lose it or give it away. tree →

2) To retain is to hold something in: a sponge retains water, a flask retains heat. tree →

3) To retain facts is to remember them. tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths: what is kept after giving away or spending a part; retained = start − given away. In science: soil retains water; wool and fur retain heat. In school: revising helps you retain what you learned. In everyday life: keep (retain) your receipt.

examples

• She gave away 8 of her 20 stickers and retained the rest. tree →
• The shop retains 10% of the price. tree →
• How many marbles did he retain? tree →
• The soil retains 2 liters of water. tree →
• Clay soil retains more water than sandy soil. tree →
• A flask retains heat for hours. tree →
• Reading notes again helps you retain facts. tree →
• The team retained the trophy for another year. tree →
• But above all he retained the passion for good form. tree →

note

What is retained = start minus what is given away. Trap: the question may ask for the part kept, not the part given away. «Retain» is a formal word for «keep». Past: retained.

In the corpora

• He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «retain» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.