If you keep something or someone in a place, you cause them to remain in that place. The past tense and -ed participle of keep is kept.
To keep someone or something in a particular state means to cause them to remain in that state.
To keep in a particular state means to remain in that state.
Keep can be used in two different ways with an -ing form.
You can use it to say that something is repeated many times.
You can also use it to say that something continues to happen and does not stop.
For emphasis, you can use keep on instead of 'keep'.
Be Careful!
Don't say that someone or something 'keeps to do' something.
Imperative |
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keep |
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Noun | 1. | ![]() resource - available source of wealth; a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed amenities, comforts, conveniences, creature comforts - things that make you comfortable and at ease; "all the comforts of home" maintenance - means of maintenance of a family or group meal ticket - a source of income or livelihood subsistence - minimal (or marginal) resources for subsisting; "social security provided only a bare subsistence" |
2. | ![]() castle - a large building formerly occupied by a ruler and fortified against attack stronghold, fastness - a strongly fortified defensive structure | |
3. | keep - a cell in a jail or prison | |
Verb | 1. | keep - keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean"; "hold in place"; "She always held herself as a lady"; "The students keep me on my toes" pressurise, pressurize - maintain a certain pressure; "the airplane cabin is pressurized"; "pressurize a space suit" preserve, uphold, carry on, continue, bear on - keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last; "preserve the peace in the family"; "continue the family tradition"; "Carry on the old traditions" hold over - keep in a position or state from an earlier period of time conserve - keep constant through physical or chemical reactions or evolutionary change; "Energy is conserved in this process" preserve - keep undisturbed for personal or private use for hunting, shooting, or fishing; "preserve the forest and the lakes" distance - keep at a distance; "we have to distance ourselves from these events in order to continue living" housekeep - maintain a household; take care of all business related to a household keep apart, sequestrate, set apart, isolate, sequester - set apart from others; "The dentist sequesters the tooth he is working on" stay off, keep off - refrain from entering or walking onto; "keep off the grass"; "stay off the premises" keep up - maintain a required pace or level; "He could not keep up and dropped out of the race" keep off, avoid - refrain from certain foods or beverages; "I keep off drugs"; "During Ramadan, Muslims avoid tobacco during the day" keep out, shut out, exclude, shut - prevent from entering; shut out; "The trees were shutting out all sunlight"; "This policy excludes people who have a criminal record from entering the country" keep in - cause to stay indoors |
2. | keep - continue a certain state, condition, or activity; "Keep on working!"; "We continued to work into the night"; "Keep smiling"; "We went on working until well past midnight" act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" preserve, uphold, carry on, continue, bear on - keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last; "preserve the peace in the family"; "continue the family tradition"; "Carry on the old traditions" hold - remain in a certain state, position, or condition; "The weather held"; "They held on the road and kept marching" keep going, run on - continue uninterrupted; "The disease will run on unchecked"; "The party kept going until 4 A.M." ride - continue undisturbed and without interference; "Let it ride" continue - continue after an interruption; "The demonstration continued after a break for lunch" | |
3. | keep - retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married" hold over, carry over - hold over goods to be sold for the next season have, have got, hold - have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense; "She has $1,000 in the bank"; "He has got two beautiful daughters"; "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard" deny, refuse - refuse to let have; "She denies me every pleasure"; "he denies her her weekly allowance" deduct, withhold, recoup - retain and refrain from disbursing; of payments; "My employer is withholding taxes" save, preserve - to keep up and reserve for personal or special use; "She saved the old family photographs in a drawer" salt away, stack away, stash away, store, hive away, lay in, put in - keep or lay aside for future use; "store grain for the winter"; "The bear stores fat for the period of hibernation when he doesn't eat" store - find a place for and put away for storage; "where should we stow the vegetables?"; "I couldn't store all the books in the attic so I sold some" keep back, retain, hold back, hold - secure and keep for possible future use or application; "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree" hold open, keep open, save, keep - retain rights to; "keep my job for me while I give birth"; "keep my seat, please"; "keep open the possibility of a merger" withhold, keep back - hold back; refuse to hand over or share; "The father is withholding the allowance until the son cleans his room" keep back, retain, hold back, hold - secure and keep for possible future use or application; "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree" lose - fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense; "She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat" | |
4. | keep - stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state; "We must prevent the cancer from spreading"; "His snoring kept me from falling asleep"; "Keep the child from eating the marbles" defend - be on the defensive; act against an attack keep - hold and prevent from leaving; "The student was kept after school" keep out, shut out, exclude, shut - prevent from entering; shut out; "The trees were shutting out all sunlight"; "This policy excludes people who have a criminal record from entering the country" hold - keep from departing; "Hold the taxi"; "Hold the horse" keep away - prevent from coming close; "I tried to keep the child away from the pool" blank - keep the opposing (baseball) team from winning | |
5. | keep - conform one's action or practice to; "keep appointments"; "she never keeps her promises"; "We kept to the original conditions of the contract" make good - act as promised; "make good on promises" breach, infract, transgress, violate, go against, offend, break - act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises; "offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization"; "break a law"; "break a promise" | |
6. | keep - stick to correctly or closely; "The pianist kept time with the metronome"; "keep count"; "I cannot keep track of all my employees" | |
7. | keep - look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; "He keeps the shop when I am gone" have, have got, hold - have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense; "She has $1,000 in the bank"; "He has got two beautiful daughters"; "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard" conserve, maintain, preserve, keep up - keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction; "We preserve these archeological findings"; "The old lady could not keep up the building"; "children must be taught to conserve our national heritage"; "The museum curator conserved the ancient manuscripts" | |
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9. | keep - supply with room and board; "He is keeping three women in the guest cottage"; "keep boarders" lodge, accommodate - provide housing for; "We are lodging three foreign students this semester" | |
10. | keep - allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature; "We cannot continue several servants any longer"; "She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long as we could"; "She retained her composure"; "this garment retains its shape even after many washings" sustain, keep up, prolong - lengthen or extend in duration or space; "We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible"; "prolong the treatment of the patient"; "keep up the good work" persist in, continue - do something repeatedly and showing no intention to stop; "We continued our research into the cause of the illness"; "The landlord persists in asking us to move" | |
11. | keep - supply with necessities and support; "She alone sustained her family"; "The money will sustain our good cause"; "There's little to earn and many to keep" patronage - support by being a patron of reseed - maintain by seeding without human intervention; "Some plants reseed themselves indefinitely" have, have got, hold - have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense; "She has $1,000 in the bank"; "He has got two beautiful daughters"; "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard" carry - keep up with financial support; "The Federal Government carried the province for many years" | |
12. | keep - fail to spoil or rot; "These potatoes keep for a long time" | |
13. | keep - behave as expected during of holidays or rites; "Keep the commandments"; "celebrate Christmas"; "Observe Yom Kippur" commemorate, mark - mark by some ceremony or observation; "The citizens mark the anniversary of the revolution with a march and a parade" mourn - observe the customs of mourning after the death of a loved one | |
14. | keep - keep under control; keep in check; "suppress a smile"; "Keep your temper"; "keep your cool" hold - keep from exhaling or expelling; "hold your breath" confine - prevent from leaving or from being removed | |
15. | keep - maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger; "May God keep you" protect - shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage; "Weatherbeater protects your roof from the rain" keep - look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; "He keeps the shop when I am gone" | |
16. | keep - raise; "She keeps a few chickens in the yard"; "he keeps bees" farm, produce, raise, grow - cultivate by growing, often involving improvements by means of agricultural techniques; "The Bordeaux region produces great red wines"; "They produce good ham in Parma"; "We grow wheat here"; "We raise hogs here" herd - keep, move, or drive animals; "Who will be herding the cattle when the cowboy dies?" | |
17. | keep - retain rights to; "keep my job for me while I give birth"; "keep my seat, please"; "keep open the possibility of a merger" | |
18. | keep - store or keep customarily; "Where do you keep your gardening tools?" keep - have as a supply; "I always keep batteries in the freezer"; "keep food for a week in the pantry"; "She keeps a sixpack and a week's worth of supplies in the refrigerator" store - find a place for and put away for storage; "where should we stow the vegetables?"; "I couldn't store all the books in the attic so I sold some" | |
19. | keep - have as a supply; "I always keep batteries in the freezer"; "keep food for a week in the pantry"; "She keeps a sixpack and a week's worth of supplies in the refrigerator" have, have got, hold - have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense; "She has $1,000 in the bank"; "He has got two beautiful daughters"; "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard" keep - store or keep customarily; "Where do you keep your gardening tools?" | |
20. | keep - maintain for use and service; "I keep a car in the countryside"; "She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips" | |
21. | keep - hold and prevent from leaving; "The student was kept after school" | |
22. | keep - prevent (food) from rotting; "preserved meats"; "keep potatoes fresh" freeze-dry - preserve by rapid freezing and subsequently drying in a vacuum; "freeze-dry the strawberries" conserve - preserve with sugar; "Mom always conserved the strawberries we grew in the backyard" dehydrate, desiccate - preserve by removing all water and liquids from; "carry dehydrated food on your camping trip" pickle - preserve in a pickling liquid salt - preserve with salt; "people used to salt meats on ships" refrigerate - preserve by chilling; "many foods must be refrigerated or else they will spoil" cure - prepare by drying, salting, or chemical processing in order to preserve; "cure meats"; "cure pickles"; "cure hay" corn - preserve with salt; "corned beef" ready, prepare, cook, fix, make - prepare for eating by applying heat; "Cook me dinner, please"; "can you make me an omelette?"; "fix breakfast for the guests, please" stay fresh, keep - fail to spoil or rot; "These potatoes keep for a long time" |