keep
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: ball-games
cricket
engineering
games
hobbies
lifestyle
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sports
Etymology: From Middle English kepen (“to keep, guard, look after, watch”), from Old English cēpan (“to seize, hold, observe”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *kōpijaną (“to look, heed, watch, observe”) (compare West Frisian kypje (“to look”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵab-, *ǵāb- (“to look after”) (compare Lithuanian žẽbti (“to eat reluctantly”), Russian забо́та (zabóta, “care, worry”)).
The dialectal sense of the verb meaning “to put back” or “put away” may be analyzed as a semantic loan from a local language—compare Welsh cadw and Mandarin 收 (shōu).
Inflected forms:
form: keeps
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: keeping
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: kept
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: kept
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: keep
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: keep
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: kept
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: keep
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: keepest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: kept
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: keptst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: keptest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: keeps
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: keepeth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: kept
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: keep
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: kept
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: keep
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: kept
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: keep
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: keeping
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: kept
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: keepe
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: keeps
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: keepe
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: to keep silence;  to keep possession
gloss: To remain faithful to a given promise or word.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: to keep one's word;  to keep one's promise
Both day and night did we keep company.
Within the Portal as I kept my Watch, / Swift gliding Shadows by the glimm'ring Moon, I could perceive in Forms of armed Men, / Poſſeſſ the Space that borders on the Porch— […]
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: 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.
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: ditransitive
transitive
examples: I keep my specimens under glass to protect them.
The abundance of squirrels kept the dogs running for hours.
Mr. Cooke had had a sloop yacht built at Far Harbor, the completion of which had been delayed, and which was but just delivered.[…]The Maria had a cabin, which was finished in hard wood and yellow plush, and accommodations for keeping things cold.
She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill.
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: I used to keep a diary.
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
transitive
examples: Metrocles somewhat indiscreetly, as he was disputing in his Schole, in presence of his auditory, let a fart, for shame whereof he afterwards kept his house and could not be drawen abroad[…].
The wrathful skies / Gallow the very wanderers of the dark / And make them keep their caves.
The following day she was so ill that she kept her bed; the husband went not once to enquire for her, nor did he send any message: he also kept his apartment, and was heard walking backwards and forwards with a hurried pace the whole of that day.
"As I sat alone at my breakfast--Mrs. Challenger is in the habit of keeping her room of a morning--it suddenly entered my head that it would be entertaining and instructive to see whether I could find any limits to this woman's inperturbability."
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: I keep my pet gerbil away from my brother.
Don't let me keep you; I know you have things to be doing.
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: May the Lord keep you from harm.
cursse on thy cruell hond, / That twise hath sped; yet shall it not thee keepe / From the third brunt of this my fatall brond […]
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: He kept a mistress for over ten years.
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: He has been keeping orchids since retiring.
Here John had to keep cows with other boys, and they used to drive them to graze about the Nine-hills.
Of course boys are boys and need watching, but there is little watching necessary when they keep chickens.
Jailing her on Wednesday, magistrate Liz Clyne told Robins: "You have shown little remorse either for the death of the kitten or the trauma to your former friend Sarah Knutton." She was also banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: I know that it's a secret / And that I gotta keep it / But I want the lights on / Yeah, I want the lights on
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: like a pedant that keeps a school
They were honourably accompanied and with great estate brought to London, where euery of them kept house by himselfe.
At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors.[…]In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.
gloss: To hold the status of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To hold or be held in a state.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
examples: She kept to her bed while the fever lasted.
Knock at his study, where, they say, he keeps, / To ruminate strange plots of dire revenge; […]
gloss: To hold or be held in a state.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: I keep taking the tablets, but to no avail.
Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. […] Next day she […] tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head. Then, thwarted, the wretched creature went to the police for help; she was versed in the law, and perhaps had spared no pains to keep on good terms with the local constabulary.
Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic[…]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become.[…]But the scandals kept coming, and so we entered stage three – what therapists call "bargaining". A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.
gloss: To hold or be held in a state.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Potatoes can keep if they are in a root cellar.
Latex paint won't keep indefinitely.
If the malt be not thoroughly dried, the ale it makes will not keep.
gloss: To hold or be held in a state.
pos: verb
tags: copulative
intransitive
examples: The rabbit avoided detection by keeping still.
Keep calm! There's no need to panic.
gloss: To hold or be held in a state.
pos: verb
tags: UK
intransitive
obsolete
gloss: To wait for, keep watch for.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
examples: And thenne whan the damoysel knewe certaynly that he was not syre launcelot / thenne she took her leue and departed from hym / And thenne syre Trystram rode pryuely vnto the posterne where kepte hym la beale Isoud / and there she made hym good chere and thanked god of his good spede
gloss: To act as wicket-keeper.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Godfrey Evans kept for England for many years.
gloss: To take care; to be solicitous; to watch.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
examples: […] kepe that the lustes choke not the word of God that is sowen in vs,
gloss: To be in session; to take place.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
examples: School keeps today.
gloss: To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; to not swerve from or violate.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: I have kept the faith: […]
Be strong, live happie, and love, but first of all / Him whom to love is to obey, and keep / His great command; […]
gloss: To visit (a place) often; to frequent.
pos: verb
tags: broadly
dated
transitive
examples: […] 'tis hallowed ground;
No Maid seeks here her strayed Cow, or Sheep,
Fairies, and fawns, and satyrs do it keep:
gloss: To observe or celebrate (a holiday).
pos: verb
tags: dated
transitive
examples: to keep the Sabbath
The feast of St. Stephen is kept on December 26.
There are two time-zones in China: the Eastern, which keeps Shanghai time, 8 hr. in advance of G.M.T.; and the Western, which keeps Kansu-Szechwan time, 7 hr. in advance of G.M.T.
"Nephew!" returned the uncle sternly, "keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine."
"Oh, we are from Osthalla," says one of them, "we are going to the Veien dairy to keep the wedding; the one who drives in front is the parson, next are the bride and bridegroom, and I am his father-in-law."
gloss: To put (something) back (to its original location or appropriate place); to put away.
pos: verb
tags: Singapore
Wales
transitive
examples: Please keep these books.
[…] semantic shift: e.g., to send (“to give a lift”), to keep (“to put away”), to hack (“to remove carefully,” e.g., tiles, plaster, etc.), knock (“to remove a dent from a car”), bluff (“to joke”), stay (“to live”) […]
gloss: The main tower of a castle or fortress, located within the castle walls.
pos: noun
tags: countable
historical
uncountable
gloss: The food or money required to keep someone alive and healthy; one's support, maintenance.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: He works as a cobbler's apprentice for his keep.
gloss: The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: to be in good keep
gloss: A cap for holding something, such as a journal box, in place.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: The act or office of keeping; custody; guard; care; heed; charge; notice.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: So Sir Gareth strayned hym so that his olde wounde braste ayen on bledynge; but he was hote and corragyous and toke no kepe, but with his grete forse he strake downe the knyght[…].
Pan, thou god of shepherds all, / Which of our tender lambkins takest keep.
gloss: That which is kept in charge; a charge.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: Often he used of his keep / A sacrifice to bring.
gloss: A mistress (the other woman in an extramarital relationship, generally including sexual relations).
pos: noun
tags: countable
euphemistic
obsolete
uncountable
examples: My Darling Girl, In London the other day I heard a piece of news which may amuse you. The French girl who shot her so-called Egyptian prince and is going to be tried for murder, is the fancy woman who was the Prince's 'keep' in Paris during the war […]
Related words: for keeps
donjon
Derived words: a man is known by the company he keeps
an apple a day keeps the doctor at bay
an apple a day keeps the doctor away
book-keep
don't keep a dog and bark yourself
gatekeep
gate-keep
gift that keeps on giving
how are you keeping
keepability
keepable
keep a civil tongue
keep a civil tongue in one's head
keep a civil tongue in one's mouth
keep a close watch
keep a cool head
keep across
keep a dog and bark oneself
keep ahead
keep a lid on
keepalive
keep a lookout
keep a look-out
keep a low profile
keep an act
keep an eye on
keep an eye open
keep an eye out
keep an eye peeled
keep an eye skinned
keep apace
keep around
keep at
keep at arm's length
keep a tight rein on
keep a watch out
keep-away
keep away
keep away from
keep a weather eye open
keep back
keep body and soul together
keep cave
keep company
keep counsel
keep count
keep cup
keep down
keep faith
keep fit
keep from
keep going
keep good hours
keep good time
keep hope alive
keep house
keepie-uppie
keepy-uppy
keep in
keep in mind
keep in with
keep it 100
keep it a bean
keep it a buck
keep it a buck fifty
keep it a stack
keep it between the ditches
keep it down
keep it in one's pants
keep it in the family
keep it moving
keep it one hundred
keep it real
keep it tall
keep it together
keep it up
keep kosher
keep measures
keepnet
keep off
keep off the street
keep off the streets
keep on
keep on about
keep one on one's toes
keep one's breath to cool one's porridge
keep one's cards close to one's chest
keep one's chapels
keep one's chin up
keep one's cool
keep one's counsel
keep one's countenance
keep one's distance
keep one's ears open
keep oneself to oneself
keep one's end up
keep one's eyeballs peeled
keep one's eye in
keep one's eye on the ball
keep one's eyes on the ball
keep one's eyes open
keep one's eyes peeled
keep one's eyes skinned
keep one's fingers crossed
keep one's guard up
keep one's hair on
keep one's hand in
keep one's hands to oneself
keep one's head
keep one's head above the water
keep one's head above water
keep one's head below the parapet
keep one's head down
keep one's head on a swivel
keep one's head on one's shoulders
keep one's head up
keep one's head upon one's shoulders
keep one's knickers on
keep one's lips sealed
keep one's mouth shut
keep one's nerve
keep one's nose clean
keep one's options open
keep one's own counsel
keep one's pants on
keep one's peace
keep one's pecker up
keep one's powder dry
keep one's shirt on
keep one's side of the bargain
keep one's stick on the ice
keep one's temper
keep one's tits on
keep one's voice down
keep one's wits about one
keep one's word
keep on keeping on
keep on truckin'
keep on trucking
keep order
keep out
keep out of
keep pace
keep quiet
keep rank
keepsake
keep schtum
keep score
keep shady
keep shtum
keepsies
keep sight of
keep somebody in stitches
keep somebody posted
keep someone amused
keep someone busy
keep someone company
keep someone guessing
keep someone honest
keep someone in the loop
keep someone occupied
keep someone on ice
keep someone on their toes
keep someone posted
keep someone posted up
keep someone sweet
keep someone up at night
keep someone up late
keep soul and body together
keep straight
keep tabs on
keep telling yourself that
keep term
keep the baby
keep the ball rolling
keep the bones green
keep the book
keep the change
keep the faith
keep the field
keep the flag flying
keep the home fires burning
keep the lights on
keep the pace
keep the peace
keep the pot boiling
keep the powder dry
keep the show on the road
keep the wolf from the door
keep time
keep to
keep together
keep to oneself
keep to one's knitting
keep to one's own knitting
keep track
keep tryst
keep under
keep up
keep up appearances
keep up with
keep up with the Joneses
keep vigil
keep ward
keep watch
keep wicket
keep with
keepworthy
keep-worthy
keep your pecker up
keep yourself safe
locks only keep honest people honest
miskeep
outkeep
overkeep
right to keep and bear arms
take a licking and keep on ticking
the family that sleeps together keeps together
time keep
time-keep
timekeep
treat 'em mean to keep 'em keen
underkeep
upkeep
who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl
why keep a dog and bark yourself
you can't keep a good man down
alekeep
barkeep
earn one's keep
keepless
keeplike
tavernkeep
Translations: