retainer
English · Thesaurus
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retainer
- /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/ UK
- /ɹɪˈteɪn.ɚ/ US
- /ɹiˈteɪn.ɚ/ US
- /ɹəˈteɪn.ɚ/ US
Rhymes with -eɪnə(ɹ)
noun retainers
- Any thing or person that retains.
- A dependent or follower of someone of rank. If they possessed the means to marshal labour, pile up food resources and provender armies of year-round retainers, what sort of royalty would consciously elect not to do so.
- A paid servant, especially one who has been employed for many years. Of all this family lore I knew but little and vaguely; only what is to be gathered from the fireside talk of old retainers in the nursery.
- A fee one pays to reserve the other's time for services. This lawyer charges a retainer for his work.
- A device that holds teeth in position after orthodontic treatment. You give me head / It makes it worse / Take out your fuckin' retainer / Put it in your purse
- A retaining valve.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: consideration, servant, retention, retaining, retrieval, fixing, recovery, stop, restraint, allowance, provision, subjection, mounting, surety, hold, guarantor
Translations
Every language
noun any thing or person that retains
| Português | retentor |
|---|
noun dependent or follower
| 日本語 | 家来 kerai |
|---|---|
| Français | suite |
| Deutsch | Dienstmann, Gefolgsmann, Vasall |
noun paid servant
| Español | criado |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 臣下 shinka |
| Français | serviteur |
| Deutsch | Bediensteter |
| Русский | слуга́ slugá |
noun fee
| Español | anticipo |
|---|---|
| Français | avance |
| Русский | предвари́тельный гонора́р predvarítelʹnyj gonorár |
noun dentistry: device
| Español | retenedor (ortodóntico / ortodóncico) |
|---|---|
| Português | aparelho |
| Français | faux-palais, contention |
| Deutsch | Retainer, Zahnspange |
Talk about this word "retainer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/retainer. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. retainer. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/retainer "retainer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/retainer.Cite this
@misc{retainer_2026,
title = {retainer},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/retainer},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
