# verb. - continue to have (something); keep possession of. * built in 1830, the house retains many of its original features - absorb and continue to hold (a substance). * limestone is known to retain water - keep (something) in place; hold fixed. * the successful design of a cartridge belt requires that the cartridges in it be properly located and retained in that position - keep (someone) engaged in one's service. * he has been retained as a freelance