Definition of "retainer" []

• One that retains, as a device, frame, or groove that restrains or guides. (noun)
• Dentistry An appliance used to hold teeth in position after orthodontic treatment. (noun)
• An employee, typically a long-term employee. (noun)
• A servant or an attendant, especially one in the household of a person of high rank. (noun)
• The act of engaging the services of a professional adviser, such as an attorney, counselor, or consultant. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Cotner, of Corporate Intelligence Consultants, said he has repaid the Cleveland schools for what he described as a retainer meant as advance payment for consulting services."
• "Your kid's retainer is cracked in two because he won't use it and left it strewn someplace where he stepped on it."
• "Not every breach of the contract of retainer is a breach of a fiduciary duty."