What does "retainer" mean?
Retainer: One who is retained or kept in service; an attendant; an adherent; a hanger-on.
Additional senses
- 2.Hence, a servant, not a domestic, but occasionally attending and wearing his master's livery. Cowell.
- 3.(Law) (a) The act of a client by which he engages a lawyer or counselor to manage his cause. (b) The act of withholding what one has in his hands by virtue of some right. (c) 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. Bouvier. Blackstone.
- 4.The act of keeping dependents, or the state of being in dependence. Bacon.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00