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

/ rɪˈtɛnʃən /

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

Other Word Forms

• nonretention noun
• overretention noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of retention¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English retencion, from Latin retentiōn-, stem of retentiō “restraint, withholding,” from retent(us) “held back” (past participle of retinēre “to hold back”; retain ) + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of retention¹

C14: from Latin retentiō , from retinēre to _retain

Example Sentences

Cognitive science shows that mnemonics help memory, distinctive voice draws attention and a sense of joy strengthens retention.

From Salon

"But we're looking at issues with retention in teaching too. Having that double career path we hope will also improve retention in the future."

From BBC

But Mr Apel says "retention is arguably more important than recruitment".

From BBC

Watching Bloom grow that quickly and the fact these guys know now that it’s real and they’re gonna be in it this time next year, I think that’ll help us from a retention standpoint.

From Los Angeles Times

The items in question include CalEPA’s “Practices to Advance Racial Equity in Workforce Planning” — a 2020 document intended to guide agency officials in equitable hiring, promotion and retention practices and policies.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What 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.