- (n.) The act of keeping dependents or the state of being in dependence.
- (n.) The act of a client by which he engages a lawyer or counselor to manage his cause.
- (n.) The act of withholding what one has in his hands by virtue of some right.
- (n.) Hence, a servant, not a domestic, but occasionally attending and wearing his master's livery.
- (n.) One who is retained or kept in service; an attendant; an adherent; a hanger-on.
- (n.) A fee paid to engage a lawyer or counselor to maintain a cause or to prevent his being employed by the opposing party in the case; -- called also retaining fee.
- (n.) One who or that which, retains.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). retainer. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/retainer/definitions/2055248 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "retainer" http://smartdefine.org/retainer/definitions/2055248 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, retainer, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/retainer/definitions/2055248>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "retainer" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/retainer/definitions/2055248> |