Know and Retain

Know

Know verb - To have a practical understanding of.

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Retain and know are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Retain" instead a verb "Know".

Nearby Words: knowing, known

Retain verb - To continue to have in one's possession or power.

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Know and retain are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Know" instead a verb "Retain".

Nearby Words: retainer, retaining

strength	know strength	retain strength
part	know part	retain part
name	know name	retain name
number	know number	retain number
Other words: identity, information, names.

Amnesiacs will often retain skills they had before losing their memory, although they may not know that they have those skills.

Source: Amnesiac Resonance
As a result, the character will retain all of their skills — though they may not know they have them at first.

Source: Laser-Guided Amnesia
One of the rules of weapons safety requires a shooter to know what is behind a target and always assume that a bullet will always overpenetrate the first target and still retain lethal velocity.

Source: One-Hit Polykill

Cite this Source

Retain and Know. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/know/retain

Know & Retain. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/know/retain>.

Retain or Know. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/know/retain.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "know" and "retain" have occurred on timeline