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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of retainer
Old Hamlet’s retainers acquired crumbling public housing estates turning out occupants enabling them to build showy apartments for cash buyers.
—
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Terrell demanded a $100,000 retainer.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
Or, Wu suggested, instead of opting for clear plastic aligners, a person could get metal braces or retainers.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Commercial products may be labeled as water retainers or penetrants.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retainer
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Terrell demanded a $100,000 retainer.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
Or, Wu suggested, instead of opting for clear plastic aligners, a person could get metal braces or retainers.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Commercial products may be labeled as water retainers or penetrants.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retainer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retainer
Noun
-
In the trailer, Bettany walks up to a white mansion and is greeted by human servants who are really just recreated AI programs.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The servants of this democratic republic’s machinery are, in truth, nothing but members of a mafia set up to plunder the island’s riches—and the West is complicit, with its own interests in the riches underground, in the ocean, from the soil.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The council had already rejected Allied once before, months earlier, over settlements — including back wages — that the company has had to pay out to current and former employees.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
17 Oct. 2025
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Nestlé announces layoffs Nestlé CEO Philipp Navratil announced in a LinkedIn post on Thursday that the company is laying off more than 16,000 employees—mostly white-collar positions—to cut costs.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Though her identity is not at first known to Benedict, the woman turns out to be Sophie Baek, a secretive maid with big dreams.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
13 Oct. 2025
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Made at the height of her fame, this attempt at more dramatic material – the Jekyll-and-Hyde tale told from the perspective of the good doctor’s Irish maid, who begins to discover his secret — almost killed Roberts’s career.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There is the obvious challenge in terms of the shortfall of workers in industries like agriculture, which could soon lead to food shortages and higher prices, according to the Labor Department.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
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The lawmakers will urge the administration to support federal workers and prevent a spike in health care costs, which are the reason most Senate Democrats have opposed reopening the government.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retainer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retainer. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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