Verb
- 1. keep, maintain, hold
- usage: 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"
- 2. continue, go on, proceed, go along, keep, act, move
- usage: 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"
- 3. keep, hold on, have, have got, hold
- usage: retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married"
- 4. prevent, keep
- usage: 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"
- 5. observe, keep
- usage: conform one's action or practice to; "keep appointments"; "she never keeps her promises"; "We kept to the original conditions of the contract"
- 6. observe, keep, maintain
- usage: stick to correctly or closely; "The pianist kept time with the metronome"; "keep count"; "I cannot keep track of all my employees"
- 7. keep, have, have got, hold
- usage: look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; "He keeps the shop when I am gone"
- 8. keep, maintain, record, enter, put down
- usage: maintain by writing regular records; "keep a diary"; "maintain a record"; "keep notes"
- 9. keep, lodge, accommodate
- usage: supply with room and board; "He is keeping three women in the guest cottage"; "keep boarders"
- 10. retain, continue, keep, keep on, prolong, sustain, keep up
- usage: 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"
- 11. sustain, keep, maintain, have, have got, hold
- usage: 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"
- 12. keep, stay fresh, stay, remain, rest
- usage: fail to spoil or rot; "These potatoes keep for a long time"
- 13. observe, celebrate, keep
- usage: behave as expected during of holidays or rites; "Keep the commandments"; "celebrate Christmas"; "Observe Yom Kippur"
- 14. restrain, keep, keep back, hold back, inhibit, bottle up, suppress
- usage: keep under control; keep in check; "suppress a smile"; "Keep your temper"; "keep your cool"
- 15. keep, preserve, protect
- usage: maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger; "May God keep you"
- 16. keep, grow, raise, farm, produce
- usage: raise; "She keeps a few chickens in the yard"; "he keeps bees"
- 17. keep open, hold open, keep, save, reserve, hold, book
- usage: 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
- usage: store or keep customarily; "Where do you keep your gardening tools?"
- 19. keep, have, have got, hold
- usage: 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"
- 20. keep, maintain, have, have got, hold
- usage: maintain for use and service; "I keep a car in the countryside"; "She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips"
- 21. keep, confine, detain
- usage: hold and prevent from leaving; "The student was kept after school"
- 22. preserve, keep, cook, fix, ready, make, prepare
- usage: prevent (food) from rotting; "preserved meats"; "keep potatoes fresh"
Adjective
- 1. unbroken (vs. broken), kept
- usage: (especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded; "unbroken promises"; "promises kept"
WordNet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University.
All rights reserved.Definition and meaning of kept (Dictionary)