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keep

Syllabification:

Entry from World dictionary

Pronunciation:/kiːp/

verb (past and past participle kept /kɛpt/)

[with object]
  • 1 have or retain possession of:my father would keep the best for himself she had trouble keeping her balance
  • retain or reserve for future use:return one copy to me, keeping the other for your files
  • put or store in a regular place:the stand where her umbrella was kept
  • 2 continue or cause to continue in a specified condition, position , course , etc.:[no object, with complement] :I kept quiet while Emily talked on keep left along the wall [with object and complement] :she might be kept alive artificially by machinery
  • [no object, with present participle] continue doing or do repeatedly:he keeps going on about the murder
  • [no object] (of a perishable commodity) remain in good condition
  • [with object] retain one's place in or on (a seat or saddle, the ground , etc.) in spite of difficulty
  • [no object, with adverbial] chiefly British be in a specified state of health:he had not been keeping well
  • [with object] cause to be late; delay:I won‘t keep you, I know you’ve got a busy evening
  • [with object and present participle] make (someone) do something for a period of time:I have kept her waiting too long
  • archaic continue to follow (a path or course)
  • 3 provide for the sustenance of (someone):he had to keep his large family in the manner he had chosen
  • provide (someone) with a regular supply of a commodity:the money should keep him in cigarettes for a week
  • own and look after (an animal) for pleasure or profit
  • own and manage (a shop or business)
  • guard; protect:his only thought is to keep the boy from harm
  • support (someone, especially a woman) financially in return for sexual favours
  • 4 honour or fulfil (a commitment or undertaking):I'll keep my promise, naturally
  • observe (a religious occasion) in the prescribed manner:today's consumers do not keep the Sabbath
  • pay due regard to (a law or custom)
  • 5 make written entries in (a diary) on a regular basis
  • write down as (a record):keep a note of each item

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] food, clothes, and other essentials for living:the Society are paying for your keep
  • the cost of the essentials for living
  • 2 [mass noun] archaic charge ; control:if from shepherd's keep a lamb strayed far
  • 3 the strongest or central tower of a castle, acting as a final refuge

Phrases

you can't keep a good man (or woman) down

informal a competent person will always recover well from setbacks

for keeps

informal permanently; indefinitely

keep one's feet

manage not to fall

keep goal

chiefly Socceract as a goalkeeper

keep going

make an effort to live normally in spite of difficulty

keep to oneself

avoid contact with others

keep something to oneself

refuse to disclose or share something

keep up with the Joneses

 see Joneses

Phrasal Verbs

keep at (or keep someone at)

persist (or force someone to persist) with:it was the best part of a day's work but I kept at it

keep away (or keep someone away)

stay away (or make someone stay away):keep away from the edge of the cliff

keep back (or keep someone/thing back)

remain (or cause someone or something to remain) at a distance:he had kept back from the river when he could

keep someone back

North American make a pupil repeat a year at school because of poor marks

keep something back

retain or withhold something:he kept back £5 for himself
  • decline to disclose something

keep down

stay hidden by crouching or lying down

keep someone down

  • 1 make a pupil repeat a year at school because of poor marks
  • 2 cause someone to remain in a state of oppression or subjection

keep something down

  • 1 cause something to remain at a low level:the population of aphids is normally kept down by other animals
  • 2 retain food or drink in one's stomach without vomiting

keep from (or keep someone from)

avoid (or cause someone to avoid) doing something:Dinah bit her lips to keep from screaming

keep something from

  • 1 cause something to remain a secret from (someone)
  • 2 cause something to stay out of:she could not keep the dismay from her voice

keep in with

remain on good terms with (someone)

keep someone in

confine someone indoors or in a particular place:he should be kept in overnight for observation

keep something in

restrain oneself from expressing a feeling:he wanted to make me mad, but I kept it all in

keep off

  • 1 avoid encroaching on or touching
  • avoid consuming or smoking:the first thing was to keep off alcohol
  • avoid (a subject)
  • 2 (of bad weather) fail to occur

keep someone/thing off

prevent someone or something from encroaching on or touching:keep your hands off me

keep someone off

prevent someone from attending (school)

keep on

continue to do something:he kept on moving

keep on about

speak about (something) repeatedly

keep on at

British annoy (someone) by making frequent requests:he'd kept on at her, wanting her to go out with him

keep someone/thing on

continue to use or employ someone or something

keep out (or keep someone/thing out)

remain (or cause someone or something to remain) outside

keep to

avoid leaving (a path, road, or place)
  • adhere to (a schedule)
  • observe (a promise)
  • confine or restrict oneself to:nothing is more irritating than people who do not keep to the point

keep someone under

cause someone to remain in a state of oppression or subjection:the local people are kept under by the army

keep up (also keep up with)

  • 1 move or progress at the same rate as someone or something else:often they had to pause to allow him to keep up
  • 2 meet a commitment to pay or do something regularly:if you do not keep up with the payments, the loan company can make you sell your home

keep up with

learn about or be aware of (current events or developments)
  • continue to be in contact with (someone)

keep someone up

prevent someone from going to bed or to sleep

keep something up

continue a course of action:keep up the good work
  • keep something in an efficient or proper state:the rector could not afford to keep up the grounds
  • make something remain at a high level:he was whistling to keep up his spirits

Derivatives

keepable

adjective

Origin:

late Old English cēpan ‘seize, take in’, also ‘care for, attend to’, of unknown origin

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