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Retain vs. Attain — What's the Difference?

Retain vs. Attain — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Retain and Attain

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Retain

To keep possession of; continue to have
The family sold the house but retained the land.

Attain

To gain as an objective; achieve
Attain a diploma by hard work.

Retain

To keep in a particular place or condition
A library that retains the author's papers.
Plants that retain a lot of water.

Attain

To come to or arrive at, as through movement, growth, or the passage of time
Redwoods can attain a height of 300 feet.

Retain

To continue to have as a feature or aspect
Retains his good humor after all the setbacks.
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Attain

To succeed in a directed effort, process, or progression
Attained to high office.
Eventually attained to wisdom.

Retain

To keep in mind; remember
Retains the songs she learned in childhood.

Attain

(transitive) To gain (an object or desired result).
To attain such a high level of proficiency requires hours of practice each day.

Retain

To require (a student) to repeat a class or grade because of insufficient educational progress to advance.

Attain

(transitive) To reach or come to, by progression or motion; to arrive at (a place, time, state, etc.).

Retain

To keep in one's service or pay
Retain employees on a workforce.

Attain

(intransitive) To come or arrive, by motion, growth, bodily exertion, or efforts toward a place, object, state, etc.

Retain

To hire (an attorney, for example) by the payment of a fee.

Attain

To get at the knowledge of.

Retain

To hire a person for (that person's services)
Retained the best legal advice available.

Attain

To reach in excellence or degree.

Retain

(transitive) To keep in possession or use.

Attain

To reach a person after being behind them.

Retain

(transitive) To keep in one's pay or service.

Attain

To achieve or accomplish, that is, to reach by efforts; to gain; to compass; as, to attain rest.
Is he wise who hopes to attain the end without the means?

Retain

(transitive) To employ by paying a retainer.

Attain

To gain or obtain possession of; to acquire.

Retain

(transitive) To hold secure.

Attain

To get at the knowledge of; to ascertain.
Not well attaining his meaning.

Retain

To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year.

Attain

To reach or come to, by progression or motion; to arrive at.

Retain

(obsolete) To restrain; to prevent.

Attain

To overtake.

Retain

To belong; to pertain.

Attain

To reach in excellence or degree; to equal.

Retain

To continue to hold; to keep in possession; not to lose, part with, or dismiss; to restrain from departure, escape, or the like.
Be obedient, and retainUnalterably firm his love entire.
An executor may retain a debt due to him from the testator.

Attain

To come or arrive, by motion, growth, bodily exertion, or efforts toward a place, object, state, etc.; to reach.
If by any means they might attain to Phenice.
Nor nearer might the dogs attain.
To see your trees attain to the dignity of timber.
Few boroughs had as yet attained to power such as this.

Retain

To keep in pay; to employ by a preliminary fee paid; to hire; to engage; as, to retain a counselor.
A Benedictine convent has now retained the most learned father of their order to write in its defense.

Attain

To come or arrive, by an effort of mind.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I can not attain unto it.

Retain

To restrain; to prevent.

Attain

Attainment.

Retain

To belong; to pertain.
A somewhat languid relish, retaining to bitterness.

Attain

To gain with effort;
She achieved her goal despite setbacks

Retain

To keep; to continue; to remain.

Attain

Reach a point in time, or a certain state or level;
The thermometer hit 100 degrees
This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour

Retain

Hold within;
This soil retains water
I retain this drug for a long time

Attain

Find unexpectedly;
The archeologists chanced upon an old tomb
She struck a goldmine
The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake

Retain

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

Attain

Reach a destination, either real or abstract;
We hit Detroit by noon
The water reached the doorstep
We barely made it to the finish line
I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts

Retain

Secure and keep for possible future use or application;
The landlord retained the security deposit
I reserve the right to disagree

Retain

Keep in one's mind;
I cannot retain so much information

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