26984 words

retainer

7 definitions • 10 examples
1
an amount of money that you pay to someone so as to be sure that that person can work for you when you need them to:

Examples:

The doctor was paid a retainer by the football club.
on a retainer Instead of keeping a solicitor on a retainer, he has found a practice that only charges him £2 each time he needs to send a late payment letter.
2
a device that keeps a person’s teeth straight after their braces (= a set of connected wires that is attached to a person's teeth in order to make them straight) have been removed:

Examples:

She has to wear a retainer at night.
The patient is often advised to wear a retainer, otherwise the teeth can start to drift back to their original position.
3
a servant who has usually been with the same family for a long time:

Examples:

old retainer He lives with a faithful old retainer in three rooms of the enormous house.
4
an amount of money that you pay to someone in advance so that the person will work for you when needed:

Examples:

He was on a $150,000 retainer from Lloyd's of London.
5
A retainer is also a device that holds something in place.
6
A retainer that you wear in your mouth helps to straighten your teeth.
7
an amount of money that you pay to a lawyer, consultant (= someone paid to give expert advice or training), etc. in order to be sure that they can work for you when you need them to:

Examples:

The firm retained White as a consultant, paying him a $5,000 retainer.
get/be on/receive a retainer Penn's firm is on a retainer of $15,000 to $20,000 per month.
An elite 15% of all headhunters are on retainer, reaping two-thirds of their pay up front.
an annual/monthly retainer

Navigation