retenir

In a sentence

• J'ai dû retenir mon souffle avant de plonger dans l'eau.

  I had to hold my breath before diving into the water.

  The word 'retenir' is used to mean 'to hold back' in the context of keeping one's breath intentionally.

• Il est difficile de retenir toutes ces informations pour l'examen.

  It's difficult to retain all this information for the exam.

  Here, 'retenir' is used in the sense of 'to retain' or 'to memorize,' emphasizing the act of keeping information in memory.

• Elle n'a pas pu retenir ses larmes après avoir entendu la nouvelle.

  She couldn't hold back her tears after hearing the news.

  In this sentence, 'retenir' conveys 'to restrain' or 'to suppress,' exemplifying the emotional action of controlling tears.