From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishretentionre‧ten‧tion /rɪˈtenʃən/ ●○○ AWL noun [uncountable] 1 formalKEEP/CONTINUE TO HAVE the act of keeping somethingretention of The UN will vote on the retention of sanctions against Iraq.2 technicalHP the ability or tendency of something to hold liquid, heat etc within itself Many people with heart problems suffer from fluid retention.3 REMEMBERthe ability to keep something in your memory I have a real problem with retention of information.
Examples from the Corpus
retention• Most of us tend to eat far too much, which can lead to fluid retention.• The approach increased retention by about 15 percent over what it otherwise would have been.• powers of retention• One of the side effects of the drug is water retention.• Without the topsoil, water retention is negligible.• Without water retention the land becomes baked.retention of• The retention of valued employees is worth more than a little inconvenience.From Longman Business Dictionaryretentionre‧ten‧tion /rɪˈtenʃən/ noun1[uncountable]HUMAN RESOURCES when workers stay with a company rather than taking a job with another employerWe have detected a definite improvement inemployee retention.The assisted vacation scheme is an effective recruitment and retention tool in the competitive Silicon Valley job market.2[uncountable] when you keep something or continue to have itthe retention of documents by the courtthe retention of strict disciplinary rules on the shop floor3[countable]ACCOUNTINGFINANCE an amount of money that will not be paid to someone doing work such as building until the work has been completed in a satisfactory wayIn the event of the sub-contractor failing to complete the initial work or failing to rectify any defective workmanship, the retention would not be released.Origin retention (1300-1400) Latin retentio, from retinere; → RETAIN 