This is the 6255th most frequent Russian word.
удерживать
To hold, retain, restrain, or keep.
In this sentence, "удерживать" refers to physically holding an object to keep it in place.
Он пытался удерживать дверь, чтобы она не открылась.
He tried to hold the door to prevent it from opening.
Here, "удерживать" is used in a metaphorical sense, meaning to maintain or keep someone's focus.
Она умела удерживать внимание зрителей на протяжении всего представления.
She was able to hold the audience's attention throughout the performance.
In this context, "удерживать" means to keep or maintain, specifically retaining people within an organization.