Keep | Mean of keep in English Dictionary

/ˈkiːp/

• Verb
• to continue having or holding (something)
1. She's going to keep the money she found.
2. I can't decide whether to sell my old car or keep it for another year.
3. While the company laid off some employees, others had hopes of keeping their jobs.
4. The shirt will keep [=retain] its shape after many washings.
5. an actress who has kept her looks/beauty [=continued to be attractive/beautiful] as she has grown older
6. “The fare is $4.” “Here's $5. Keep the change.”
7. He struggled to keep his cool/composure. [=to remain calm; to not become upset or angry]
8. He vowed to keep his silence about what he had seen. [=to not tell anyone about what he had seen]
• to continue in a specified state, condition, or position
1. I asked them to keep quiet.
2. keep still/warm
3. He vowed to keep silent about what he had seen. [=to not tell anyone about what he had seen]
4. She likes to keep [=stay] busy.
5. The program teaches kids how to keep safe near water.
6. Have you kept in touch with your college roommate? [=have you continued to talk to or write to your college roommate?]
• to cause (someone or something) to continue in a specified state, condition, or position
1. I tried to keep the children quiet during the ceremony.
2. The local newspaper keeps people informed about what's happening in town.
3. The article offers tips on how to keep kids safe near water.
4. The movie will keep you on the edge of your seat.
5. We need to keep costs under control.
6. This scarf will help keep you warm.
7. She keeps herself fit by jogging.
8. He kept his hands behind his back while we were talking.
9. Keep both hands on the steering wheel.
10. It was so cold inside that I kept my coat on.
11. I promise I'll keep your decision a secret. [=I will not tell anyone your decision]
12. Keep the mixture chilled until you are ready to serve it.

• to cause or force (someone) to stay in a place
1. I won't keep you (here) much longer.
2. The doctors want to keep me in (the hospital) for further tests.
3. If you're in a hurry, don't let me keep you.
4. keep a prisoner in jail
5. She kept the children in the house during the storm.
6. There was nothing to keep me in the city.
• to cause (someone) to be late
1. You're late. What kept you? [=what delayed you?; why are you late?]
• to do (something) continuously or again and again
1. The teacher asked them to be quiet, but they just kept talking.
2. The rain kept falling all afternoon.
3. The dog keeps running away.
4. Keep walking/driving until you come to a traffic light.
5. The band's music just keeps on getting better (and better).
6. I'll never get this work done if you keep on interrupting me.
• to cause (someone or something) to do something continuously or again and again
1. She has a desire for success that keeps her striving to do better.
2. His boss kept him waiting [=forced him to wait] for over an hour.
3. They want to keep the company growing.
• to do what is required by (something, such as a promise)
1. She always keeps her promises/word. [=she always does what she promises to do; she always does what she says she will do]
2. He failed to keep his appointment. [=he did not go to his appointment; he missed his appointment]
• to not tell (a secret)
1. I can keep a secret.
2. a poorly kept secret [=a secret that has been told to many people]
3. a well-kept secret [=a secret that has not been told to people]
• to act properly in relation to (something)
1. He keeps [=observes] the Sabbath.
2. They keep kosher.
• to store (something) in a specified place
1. They keep the ketchup in the refrigerator.
2. I keep my socks in a drawer.
3. The sheets are kept in the closet.
4. He keeps his wallet in his back pocket.
• to have or hold (something) for later use instead of using it now
1. We'll eat some of the cookies now and keep [=save] some for later.
2. I'll keep my news until later. [=I'll tell you my news later]
3. (Brit) Would you keep [=(US) save] a seat for me?
• to continue to be in a good condition
1. Carrots and potatoes keep well.
2. The meat will keep in the freezer for several months.
3. I have something to tell you, but it will keep. [=I can tell you later]
• to protect (someone)
1. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
2. May the Lord keep you from harm.
• to produce (something, such as a journal or record) by putting information in a book, document, etc., over a period of time
1. She kept a diary/journal.
2. He keeps a detailed record of all his purchases.
3. She keeps a list of books for future reading.
• to take care of (something)
1. keep [=tend] a garden
2. We kept chickens and goats when I was a child.
• to operate (something, such as a business)
1. They keep [=(more commonly) run] a bed-and-breakfast.
2. (chiefly Brit) keep a shop
• to have (something) available for use
1. He keeps a car even though he lives in the city.
• to have a continuing sexual relationship with (someone who is not your husband or wife)
1. a married man who keeps a mistress
2. She never married but she kept a lover for years.
3. a kept man/woman [=a man/woman who is kept as a lover by someone]
• to tell (someone) again and again to do something
1. My kids kept after me to quit smoking, so I finally did.
2. I wasn't going to audition, but my friends kept after me.
• to require (a student) to stay at school after classes have ended
1. The teacher kept him after (school) for misbehaving in class.
• to continue doing or trying to do something
1. If you keep at it long enough you'll succeed.
2. The project was difficult, but we kept at it and eventually it was done.
• to force or cause (someone) to continue doing something
1. The coach kept us (hard) at it until late afternoon.
• to not go near something
1. The police asked the spectators to keep back. [=stay back]
2. The guide told us to keep back from the edge of the cliff.
• to not allow (someone) to go near something
1. The police kept the spectators back.
• to not allow (a student) to advance to the next grade level
1. Students who fail the exam may be kept back a year.
• to not allow (something) to appear or be known
1. He struggled to keep back his tears. [=he tried hard not to cry]
2. The government kept back [=withheld] some crucial information from the media.
• to spend time with (someone)
1. In her garden, roses keep company with lilies.
• to spend time with (someone who would be alone if you were not there)
1. I'll keep you company while you wait for the train.
• to stay close to the ground or floor
1. The soldiers were ordered to keep down. [=stay down]
• to prevent (someone) from succeeding, winning, etc.
1. You can't keep a good man down. [=you can't prevent a good or talented person from succeeding]
• to prevent (something) from increasing or rising
1. The company is trying to keep down costs/expenses/prices.
2. She watered the path to keep the dust down.
• to prevent (something) from coming up from your stomach and into your mouth again
1. He was so ill that he could only keep down a small amount of food.
• to not do or experience (something)
1. She found it hard to keep from laughing. [=she found it hard not to laugh]
2. She's been trying to keep herself from eating too much candy.
3. An umbrella will keep you from getting wet.
4. It's difficult to keep from feeling worried about this situation.
5. He was anxious to keep his son from getting into trouble.
6. Her happy nature kept her from worrying.
7. I don't want to keep you from (doing) your work. = I don't want to keep you from working.
8. She tied the knot tightly to keep it from loosening.
9. The company has taken steps to keep the building from being broken into again.
10. It was hard to keep from [=avoid] confusing the twins.
• to not tell (something) to (someone)
1. What information are you keeping from me? [=what information are you not telling me?]
2. They think the government is keeping [=withholding] the truth from us.
• to continue moving forward
1. He walked right past me and just kept going.
• to continue doing something
1. I was ready to give up on the search, but they convinced me to keep going. [=to continue searching]
• to make (someone) able to continue doing something at a difficult time
1. I don't know what keeps her going after all these years.
2. Their grandson is the only thing keeping them going.
• to cause (something) to continue to exist or function
1. They tried everything they could think of to keep the business going.
2. He kept the conversation going.
• to not show or express (something, such as an emotion)
1. You shouldn't keep your anger in all the time.
• to continue to provide (someone) with (something needed or wanted)
1. It's very expensive keeping my children in clothes that fit.
• to remain friendly with (someone)
1. She's always kept in with the people with power.
• to stop or prevent (someone or something) from being on (something)
1. Keep [=stay] off the grass. [=do not walk on the grass]
2. Please keep the dog off the sofa.
• to continue to weigh a lower amount than you formerly weighed
1. She has managed to keep (most of) the weight off for two years.
2. Losing weight is not as hard as keeping it off.
• to not talk about (something)
1. I think we'd better keep off [=avoid] the subject of the war.
• to prevent (someone) from talking about (something)
1. We tried to keep them off (the subject of) the war.
• to continue happening, doing something, working, etc.
1. The rain kept on [=kept up] throughout the day.
2. He talked and talked. At one point I thought he would keep on all night.
• to continue to have (someone) as an employee
1. The chef was kept on even after the restaurant was sold.
• to say the same thing to (someone) again and again in a way that is annoying
1. My parents kept on at me to go back to college.
• to not enter a place
1. The sign on the door said “Keep out!”
• to not enter (a place)
1. We were told to keep out of his office.
2. Please keep [=stay] out of the way.
• to not become involved in (something)
1. This argument doesn't involve you, so you should just keep [=stay] out of it.
• to stop or prevent (someone or something) from entering (a place)
1. The curtains help keep out the drafts.
2. Keep the cat out of the bedroom.
• to stay in or on (something)
1. He kept to the house most of the time.
2. She keeps to the main roads when she travels.
• to not go beyond (something)
1. He tried to keep [=stick] to his budget.
• to act or behave in the way required by (something)
1. keep to [=abide by, obey] the rules of the game
• to not move away from or change (something)
1. I wish you'd just keep to [=stick to] the point.
2. They kept to their story.
• to stay apart from other people
1. She was a shy girl who kept pretty much to herself.
• to keep (something) secret
1. He knew what the facts were but kept them to himself. [=he did not tell anyone what the facts were]
2. She likes to keep things to herself.
• to go or make progress at the same rate as others
1. The leader began to run faster, and the other runners found it hard to keep up.
2. The other runners struggled to keep up with the leader.
3. He found it difficult to keep up with the rest of the class.
• to continue to know the newest information about something
1. There is so much happening in the world now that I find it hard to keep up. [=stay informed]
2. I find it hard to keep up on/with the news.
• to continue happening
1. The rain kept up all night.
2. The gunfire kept up for a long time.
• to continue to talk to or write to (someone)
1. She still keeps up with [=keeps in touch with] her old friends from college.
• to prevent (someone) from sleeping
1. I hope our party didn't keep you up all night!
• to continue doing (something)
1. Keep up the good work.
2. Keep that up and you'll get into trouble!
• to prevent (something) from getting worse, weaker, etc.
1. We need to keep standards up.
2. Keep your spirits up!
3. The house had been kept up [=maintained] nicely.
4. You need to exercise more to keep your strength up.
• Noun
• the strongest part of a castle built in the Middle Ages
• forever or permanently
1. He moved back to the city for keeps. [=for good]
• with the understanding that you may keep what you win
1. playing marbles for keeps
• the amount of money you need to pay for food, clothing, a place to live, etc.
1. She's been living off her parents long enough. It's time for her to get a job and start earning her keep.