keep in one's mind; "I cannot retain so much information"
secure and keep for possible future use or application; "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree"
allow to remain in a place or position; "We cannot continue several servants any longer"; "She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long as we could"
hold within; "This soil retains water"; "I retain this drug for a long time"
fail to win; "We lost the battle but we won the war"
suffer the loss of a person through death or removal; "She lost her husband in the war"; "The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her"
allow to go out of sight; "The detective lost the man he was shadowing after he had to stop at a red light"
miss from one's possessions; lose sight of; "I've lost my glasses again!"
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense; "She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat"
fail to get or obtain; "I lost the opportunity to spend a year abroad"
fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit; "I lost thousands of dollars on that bad investment!"; "The company turned a loss after the first year"
the act of losing; "everyone expected him to win so his loss was a shock"
the disadvantage that results from losing something; "his loss of credibility led to his resignation"; "losing him is no great deprivation"
the experience of losing a loved one; "he sympathized on the loss of their grandfather"
the amount by which the cost of a business exceeds its revenue; "the company operated at a loss last year"; "the company operated in the red last year"
something that is lost; "the car was a total loss"; "loss of livestock left the rancher bankrupt"
gradual decline in amount or activity; "weight loss"; "a serious loss of business"