keep tabs on

tab ¹  (tb)

n.

1. A projection, flap, or short strip attached to an object to facilitate opening, handling, or identification.

2. A small, usually decorative flap or tongue on a garment.

3. A small auxiliary airfoil that is attached to a larger one and that helps stabilize an aircraft.

4. A pull-tab.

tr.v. tabbed, tab·bing, tabs

To supply with a tab or tabs.

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[Origin unknown.]

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tab ²  (tb)

n.

1. Informal

a. A bill or check, such as one for a meal in a restaurant.

b. Cost; price: The tab for upgrading the computers would be high.

2. A tabulator on a typewriter.

3. Computer Science

a. A key on a computer keyboard that, when pressed, inserts a special ASCII character used for formatting text, as in indenting a line or block of text.

b. This special ASCII character.

intr.v. tabbed, tab·bing, tabs

To press the tab on a typewriter or computer keyboard: Tab over to the next column.

Idiom:

keep tabs on Informal

To observe carefully: Let's keep tabs on expenditures.

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[Short for tablet or tabulation. Sense 2, short for tabulator.]

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

keep tabs on - keep a record on or watch attentively; "The government keeps tabs on the dissidents" keep an eye on, watch over, watch, observe, follow - follow with the eyes or the mind; "Keep an eye on the baby, please!"; "The world is watching Sarajevo"; "She followed the men with the binoculars"