Retain vs. Sustain — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 27, 2024
Retain focuses on keeping something in possession or continuing to hold onto it, while sustain refers to supporting or maintaining something over time.
Difference Between Retain and Sustain
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Retain implies holding onto something, such as retaining information after a lecture, whereas sustain involves maintaining or prolonging conditions favorable to something, like sustaining interest in a topic.
Retain can also mean to keep in place or position, like retaining an employee in a company, while sustain can extend to providing support or nourishment, as in sustaining an ecosystem.
In legal contexts, retain often refers to securing services, such as retaining a lawyer, whereas sustain in this context might mean to uphold a decision or argument in court.
When talking about effects or impacts, to retain might involve preserving the status quo, like retaining the original features of a historic building, while to sustain can mean ensuring ongoing viability, like sustaining economic growth.
In environmental terms, retaining often deals with conservation efforts, such as retaining water in a reservoir, whereas sustaining focuses on ecological balance, like sustaining biodiversity.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Keep possession or continue holding onto something.
Support or maintain something continuously.
Usage in Business
Retaining customers through loyalty programs.
Sustaining business operations during a crisis.
Environmental Context
Retaining soil moisture with mulching techniques.
Sustaining natural resources for future generations.
Legal Use
Retaining a lawyer for legal services.
Sustaining a legal ruling or judgment.
Health & Well-being
Retaining mental sharpness with cognitive exercises.
Sustaining health through regular exercise and diet.
Compare with Definitions
Retain
Keep in place or position.
The wall retains the soil behind it.
Sustain
Undergo or suffer (especially an injury).
He sustained a knee injury during the match.
Retain
Keep possession or use of something.
They aim to retain control of the company despite the offers.
Sustain
Keep up or prolong.
They sustained the effort despite difficulties.
Retain
Keep in one’s memory.
He retains a lot of information from his reading.
Sustain
Uphold, affirm, or confirm.
The judge sustained the objection.
Retain
Employ by payment of a retainer.
They retained a lawyer to handle the case.
Sustain
Strengthen or support physically or mentally
This thought had sustained him throughout the years
Retain
To keep possession of; continue to have
The family sold the house but retained the land.
Sustain
Undergo or suffer (something unpleasant, especially an injury)
He sustained severe head injuries
Retain
To keep in a particular place or condition
A library that retains the author's papers.
Plants that retain a lot of water.
Sustain
Cause to continue for an extended period or without interruption
He cannot sustain a normal conversation
Retain
To continue to have as a feature or aspect
Retains his good humor after all the setbacks.
Sustain
Uphold, affirm, or confirm the justice or validity of
The allegations of discrimination were sustained
Retain
To keep in mind; remember
Retains the songs she learned in childhood.
Sustain
An effect or facility on a keyboard or electronic instrument whereby a note can be sustained after the key is released.
Retain
To require (a student) to repeat a class or grade because of insufficient educational progress to advance.
Sustain
To keep in existence; maintain, continue, or prolong
Sustain an effort.
Retain
To keep in one's service or pay
Retain employees on a workforce.
Sustain
To keep up (a joke or assumed role, for example) competently.
Retain
To hire (an attorney, for example) by the payment of a fee.
Sustain
To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for
The income needed to sustain a family.
Retain
To hire a person for (that person's services)
Retained the best legal advice available.
Sustain
To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage
We were sustained by her unflagging optimism.
Retain
(transitive) To keep in possession or use.
Sustain
To support from below; keep from falling or sinking; prop
The beams sustain the weight of the roof.
Retain
(transitive) To keep in one's pay or service.
Sustain
To bear up under; withstand
Can't sustain the blistering heat.
Retain
(transitive) To employ by paying a retainer.
Sustain
To experience or suffer
Sustained minor injuries.
Retain
(transitive) To hold secure.
Sustain
To affirm the validity of
The judge has sustained the prosecutor's objection.
Retain
To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year.
Sustain
A capacity of a musical instrument to continue the resounding of a note or tone.
Retain
(obsolete) To restrain; to prevent.
Sustain
(transitive) To maintain, or keep in existence.
The professor had trouble sustaining students’ interest until the end of her lectures.
The city came under sustained attack by enemy forces.
Sam managed to sustain his erection for two straight hours.
Retain
To belong; to pertain.
Sustain
(transitive) To provide for or nourish.
Provisions to sustain an army
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.
Sustain
(transitive) To encourage or sanction (something). en
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.
Sustain
(transitive) To experience or suffer (an injury, etc.).
The building sustained major damage in the earthquake.
Retain
To restrain; to prevent.
Sustain
(transitive) To confirm, prove, or corroborate; to uphold.
To sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition
Retain
To belong; to pertain.
A somewhat languid relish, retaining to bitterness.
Sustain
To allow, accept, or admit (e.g. an objection or motion) as valid.
Retain
To keep; to continue; to remain.
Sustain
To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support.
A foundation sustains the superstructure; an animal sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.
Retain
Hold within;
This soil retains water
I retain this drug for a long time
Sustain
To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.
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
Sustain
(music) A mechanism which can be used to hold a note, as the right pedal on a piano.
Retain
Secure and keep for possible future use or application;
The landlord retained the security deposit
I reserve the right to disagree
Sustain
To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; a beast sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.
Every pillar the temple to sustain.
Retain
Keep in one's mind;
I cannot retain so much information
Sustain
Hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence, or the like; to support.
No comfortable expectations of another life to sustain him under the evils in this world.
Retain
Continue to hold or have.
She retained her composure in a stressful situation.
Sustain
To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish; as, provisions to sustain an army.
Sustain
To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.
His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain.
Sustain
To endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under; as, to sustain defeat and disappointment.
Sustain
To suffer; to bear; to undergo.
Shall Turnus, then, such endless toil sustain?
You shall sustain more new disgraces.
Sustain
To allow the prosecution of; to admit as valid; to sanction; to continue; not to dismiss or abate; as, the court sustained the action or suit.
Sustain
To prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of; as, to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition.
Sustain
One who, or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer.
I waked again, for my sustain was the Lord.
Sustain
Lengthen or extend in duration or space;
We sustained the diplomatic negociations as long as possible
Prolong the treatment of the patient
Keep up the good work
Sustain
Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses);
She suffered a fracture in the accident
He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars
She got a bruise on her leg
He got his arm broken in the scuffle
Sustain
Provide with nourishment;
We sustained ourselves on bread and water
This kind of food is not nourishing for young children
Sustain
Supply with necessities and support;
She alone sustained her family
The money will sustain our good cause
There's little to earn and many to keep
Sustain
Be the physical support of; carry the weight of;
The beam holds up the roof
He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam
What's holding that mirror?
Sustain
Admit as valid;
The court sustained the motion
Sustain
Establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts;
His story confirmed my doubts
The evidence supports the defendant
Sustain
Provide the basic necessities for.
The land sustains a variety of wildlife.
Sustain
Support mentally or physically.
Good nutrition sustains a healthy body.
Common Curiosities
How can a company sustain its growth?
By implementing strategic plans that support continuous improvement and adaptation.
How do wetlands help sustain biodiversity?
Wetlands provide a habitat rich in nutrients and protection, which supports diverse species.
What does it mean to sustain a verdict?
It means that a higher court upholds the decision of a lower court.
What does it mean to retain an employee?
It means to keep an employee on staff, often through incentives or positive work conditions.
What does it mean to sustain an injury?
It refers to experiencing or suffering from an injury.
Can you retain legal rights in a contract?
Yes, parties can retain specific rights as stipulated in a contract.
Is retaining information the same as memorizing it?
Not exactly; retaining implies maintaining the information over time, not just memorizing temporarily.
How do forests sustain ecosystems?
Forests provide essential services like oxygen production and habitat for wildlife.
How can schools help students retain knowledge?
Through engaging educational techniques and repeated practice.
What role does technology play in sustaining business operations?
Technology supports business continuity by improving efficiency and enabling innovation.
What strategies help retain customers?
Excellent customer service and regular engagement through loyalty programs.
Why is it important to retain cultural heritage?
It helps preserve identity, history, and values for future generations.
Can you sustain economic growth without innovation?
Sustaining growth without innovation is challenging as it requires continual adaptation to changing environments.
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Manufacturing vs. IndustryAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
