easy
A sponge can retain water.
What does Retain mean?
Retain means keep.
Dictionary definition
To keep or continue to hold something.
Example sentences
Retain in a sentence
medium
Reviewing notes helps students retain important facts.
hard
The story's ending helped readers retain the main lesson.
Writing practice
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Quick practice
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Practice the meaning of Retain
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
What does retain mean?
Retain means keep.
Practice 2
Which word is closest in meaning to retain?
Keep is close to retain in this main meaning.
Practice 3
Choose the best word to complete the sentence: A sponge can ____ water.
Retain best completes the sentence.
Practice complete
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You completed 3 questions.
Pronunciation coach
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Retain
Voice settings
Sounds like
ri · tayn · strongest beat: tayn
Tap each sound part, then blend the whole word together.
Learn
WordRetain.
Partverb.
MeaningRetain means keep.
ExampleExample: A sponge can retain water.
Word breakdown
2 syllables. Say each part, then blend the word.
- Syllables
- ri · tayn
- Strongest beat
- tayn
- Ending
- tayn
- Tip
- Put a little extra energy on tayn.
Your turn
Say Retain
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Synonyms
Words like Retain
Antonyms
Opposite words
Synonym practice
Want to practice retain synonyms in context? Try a Synonym Search question like "Please retain the first paragraph in your final draft," then compare close word choices. Practice retain synonyms.
Word family
Retain word family
Base word
retain
verb
retains
Present-tense form of retain.
verb
retained
Past-tense form of retain.
verb
retaining
-ing form of retain.
Related words
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Learning activities
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Sentence Builder
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