keep
/kiːp/ verb A1- To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain. · to keep silence; to keep possession
- To remain faithful to a given promise or word. · to keep one's word; to keep one's promise
- To maintain possession of. · I keep a small stock of painkillers for emergencies.· I only meant to lend him the shirt at first, but it looked better on him than me, so I told him to keep it.
- To maintain the condition of; to preserve in a certain state. · I keep my specimens under glass to protect them.· The abundance of squirrels kept the dogs running for hours.
- To record transactions, accounts, or events in. · I used to keep a diary.
- To enter (accounts, records, etc.) in a book.
- To restrain. · I keep my pet gerbil away from my brother.· Don't let me keep you; I know you have things to be doing.
- To watch over, look after, guard, protect.
Plural keep · He/she/it keeps · Past kept · Past participle kept · -ing form keeping
Verb forms
- Base form
- keep
- He/she/it
- keeps
- Past
- kept
- Past participle
- kept
- -ing form
- keeping
An irregular verb: learn its past and past participle by heart.
Phrasal verbs and expressions
- keep across To keep abreast of or up to date with; to keep people inf...
- keep around to keep something near one.
- keep away To refrain from coming (near).
- keep back To hold back; to refuse to give or share.
- keep down To repress.
- keep in Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see keep, in.
- keep off To stay or cause to stay at a distance (from).
- keep on To persist or continue.
- keep out To refrain from entering a place or condition.
- keep up To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating o...
From the library
The Shepherd at first stood on his guard against him, as against an enemy, and kept a strict watch over his movements.
But when the Wolf, day after day, kept in the company of the sheep and did not make the slightest effort to seize them, the Shepherd began to look upon him as a guardian of his flock rather than as a plotter of evil against it; and when occasion called him one day into the city, he left the sheep entirely in his charge.
“Never mind, Renée,” replied the marquise, with a look of tenderness that seemed out of keeping with her harsh dry features; but, however all other feelings may be withered in a woman’s nature, there is always one bright smiling spot in the desert of her heart, and that is the shrine of maternal love.
“Just to amuse myself, and keep the good people busy, I ordered them to build this City, and my Palace; and they did it all willingly and well.
Other matches
- keep The main tower of a castle or fortress, located... C2
- keep across To keep abreast of or up to date with
- keep around to keep something near one.
- keep away To refrain from coming
- keep back To hold back
- keep down To repress.
- keep in Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: ...
- keep off To stay or cause to stay at a distance
Learn keep in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.