conspicuous in position or importance; "a big figure in the movement"; "big man on campus"; "he's very large in financial circles"; "a prominent citizen"
given or giving freely; "was a big tipper"; "the bounteous goodness of God"; "bountiful compliments"; "a freehanded host"; "a handsome allowance"; "Saturday's child is loving and giving"; "a liberal backer of the arts"; "a munificent gift"; "her fond and openhanded grandfather"
generous and understanding and tolerant; "a heart big enough to hold no grudges"; "that's very big of you to be so forgiving"; "a large and generous spirit"; "a large heart"; "magnanimous toward his enemies"
marked by intense physical force; "a big wind"
significant; "graduation was a big day in his life"
loud and firm; "a big voice"; "big bold piano sounds"
feeling self-importance; "too big for his britches"; "had a swelled head"; "he was swelled with pride"
in a major way; "the play failed big at the box office"
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"
soften or disintegrate by means of chemical action, heat, or moisture
make more concise; "condense the contents of a book into a summary"
soften or disintegrate, as by undergoing exposure to heat or moisture
systematize, as by classifying and summarizing; "the government digested the entire law into a code"
become assimilated into the body; "Protein digests in a few hours"
arrange and integrate in the mind; "I cannot digest all this information"
put up with something or somebody unpleasant; "I cannot bear his constant criticism"; "The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks"; "he learned to tolerate the heat"; "She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage"
convert food into absorbable substances; "I cannot digest milk products"
an ability to understand the meaning or importance of something (or the knowledge acquired as a result); "how you can do that is beyond my comprehension"; "he was famous for his comprehension of American literature"