1
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services
knights being dressed for battle by their retainers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in employee
one who works for another for wages or a salary
lifelong civil service retainers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of retainer
Removable veneers: Removable, snap-on, or pop-on veneers can be removed, just like a retainer.
—
Adrienne Dellwo, Verywell Health, 8 Jan. 2025
Recurring Revenue Models – Subscription services or retainers ensure consistent income.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
Finally, Peterson sent $1,000 to Wright (who promptly spent the money) as a retainer — and having burned through the cash, Wright had no choice but to accept the commission.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 26 Dec. 2024
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for retainer
Adrienne Dellwo, Verywell Health, 8 Jan. 2025
Recurring Revenue Models – Subscription services or retainers ensure consistent income.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
Finally, Peterson sent $1,000 to Wright (who promptly spent the money) as a retainer — and having burned through the cash, Wright had no choice but to accept the commission.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 26 Dec. 2024
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for retainer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retainer
Noun
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Japanese folklore indicates the fish belonged to servants of the sea god Ryūjin.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
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Banksy removed one of the servants and added a sinking oil tanker and two figures in hazmat suits hauling a barrel of toxic waste.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Environment Forest Service layoffs will leave the U.S. more prone to wildfires, employees say A 2024 Pew Research Center poll showed that the park service had the most favorable rating of any government agency at 76%, with strong support from a majority of both Democrats and Republicans.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2025
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Start doing everything within your power to drive, support, and reward those high priority behaviors in every employee within your sphere.—
Bruce Tulgan,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Almada’s mother worked as a maid, a nurse, and, eventually, a schoolteacher; her father had a full-time job painting signs for the municipal government.—
Graciela Mochkofsky,
The New Yorker,
11 Feb. 2025
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Kim Min-hee as Lady Hideko, a Japanese heiress, and Kim Tae-ri as Sook-hee, the pickpocket hired by a nefarious man to convince Hideko to marry him while serving as her maid.—
Samantha Allen,
Them,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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There’s a lot of talk in the Florida Legislature right now about cracking down on unauthorized workers in the state.—
Thomas Kennedy,
Orlando Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
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This particular set would be sold to a bigger supplier that would then ship the lights and other components to a plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where 4,400 American workers build GMC's Sierra truck.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retainer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retainer. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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