KEEP (kept)

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does keep mean? 

• KEEP (noun)
  The noun KEEP has 3 senses:

1. the financial means whereby one lives

2. the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress

3. a cell in a jail or prison

  Familiarity information: KEEP used as a noun is uncommon.

• KEEP (verb)
  The verb KEEP has 22 senses:

1. cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., 'keep clean'

2. continue a certain state, condition, or activity

3. retain possession of

4. stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state

5. conform one's action or practice to

6. stick to correctly or closely

7. look after; be the keeper of; have charge of

8. maintain by writing regular records

9. supply with room and board

10. allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature

11. supply with necessities and support

12. fail to spoil or rot

13. behave as expected during of holidays or rites

14. maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger

15. raise

16. retain rights to

17. store or keep customarily

18. have as a supply

19. maintain for use and service

20. hold and prevent from leaving

21. prevent the action or expression of

22. prevent (food) from rotting

  Familiarity information: KEEP used as a verb is very familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• KEEP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The financial means whereby one lives

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

bread and butter; keep; livelihood; living; support; sustenance

Context example:

he could no longer earn his own livelihood

Hypernyms ("keep" is a kind of...):

resource (available source of wealth; a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "keep"):

maintenance (means of maintenance of a family or group)

meal ticket (a source of income or livelihood)

subsistence (minimal (or marginal) resources for subsisting)

amenities; comforts; conveniences; creature comforts (things that make you comfortable and at ease)

Derivation:

keep (supply with necessities and support)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

donjon; dungeon; keep

Hypernyms ("keep" is a kind of...):

fastness; stronghold (a strongly fortified defensive structure)

Instance hyponyms:

Black Hole of Calcutta (a dungeon (20 feet square) in a fort in Calcutta where as many as 146 English prisoners were held overnight by Siraj-ud-daula; the next morning only 23 were still alive)

Holonyms ("keep" is a part of...):

castle (a large building formerly occupied by a ruler and fortified against attack)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A cell in a jail or prison

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

hold; keep

Hypernyms ("keep" is a kind of...):

cell; jail cell; prison cell (a room where a prisoner is kept)

Derivation:

keep (hold and prevent from leaving)

• KEEP (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., 'keep clean'

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

hold; keep; maintain

Context example:

The students keep me on my toes

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

pressurise; pressurize (maintain a certain pressure)

bear on; carry on; continue; preserve; uphold (keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last)

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)

preserve (keep undisturbed for personal or private use for hunting, shooting, or fishing)

distance (keep at a distance)

housekeep (maintain a household; take care of all business related to a household)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s something Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Also:

keep apart (set apart from others)

keep down (place a limit on the number of)

keep in (cause to stay indoors)

keep off (refrain from entering or walking onto)

keep off (refrain from certain foods or beverages)

keep out (prevent from entering; shut out)

keep up (maintain a required pace or level)

keep up (lengthen or extend in duration or space)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Continue a certain state, condition, or activity

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

continue; go along; go on; keep; proceed

Context example:

We went on working until well past midnight

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Verb group:

bear on; carry on; continue; preserve; uphold (keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last)

continue (continue after an interruption)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

hold (remain in a certain state, position, or condition)

keep going; run on (continue uninterrupted)

ride (continue undisturbed and without interference)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s VERB-ing

Sentence example:

They keep moving

Sense 3

Meaning:

Retain possession of

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

hold on; keep

Context example:

She kept her maiden name after she married

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

have; have got; hold (have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense)

Verb group:

hold open; keep; keep open; save (retain rights to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

harbor; harbour (keep in one's possession; of animals)

hold; hold back; keep back; retain (secure and keep for possible future use or application)

store (find a place for and put away for storage)

hive away; lay in; put in; salt away; stack away; stash away; store (keep or lay aside for future use)

deduct; recoup; withhold (retain and refrain from disbursing; of payments)

deny; refuse (refuse to let have)

carry over; hold over (hold over goods to be sold for the next season)

preserve; save (to keep up and reserve for personal or special use)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They keep the money

Antonym:

lose (fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense)

Also:

keep back (hold back; refuse to hand over or share)

keep back (secure and keep for possible future use or application)

Derivation:

keeping (the act of retaining something)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

keep; prevent

Context example:

Keep the child from eating the marbles

Verb group:

keep (hold and prevent from leaving)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

defend (be on the defensive; act against an attack)

exclude; keep out; shut; shut out (prevent from entering; shut out)

restrict (prevent (information) from being circulated or disclosed)

hold (keep from departing)

keep away (prevent from coming close)

restrain (prevent (someone or something) from doing something)

blank (keep the opposing (baseball) team from winning)

hinder; impede (be a hindrance or obstacle to)

rain out; wash out (prevent or interrupt due to rain)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

They keep him from writing the letter

Sense 5

Meaning:

Conform one's action or practice to

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

keep; observe

Context example:

We kept to the original conditions of the contract

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

make good (act as promised)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Antonym:

break (act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises)

Derivation:

keeping (conformity or harmony)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Stick to correctly or closely

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

keep; maintain; observe

Context example:

I cannot keep track of all my employees

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 7

Meaning:

Look after; be the keeper of; have charge of

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

He keeps the shop when I am gone

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

have; have got; hold (have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense)

Verb group:

keep; preserve (maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

conserve; keep up; maintain; preserve (keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

keeping (the responsibility of a guardian or keeper)

keeper (someone in charge of other people)

keeper (one having charge of buildings or grounds or animals)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Maintain by writing regular records

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

keep; maintain

Context example:

keep notes

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

enter; put down; record (make a record of; set down in permanent form)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 9

Meaning:

Supply with room and board

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

keep boarders

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

accommodate; lodge (provide housing for)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot keep Sue

Sense 10

Meaning:

Allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

continue; keep; keep on; retain

Context example:

this garment retains its shape even after many washings

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

keep up; prolong; sustain (lengthen or extend in duration or space)

Verb group:

continue; persist in (do something repeatedly and showing no intention to stop)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 11

Meaning:

Supply with necessities and support

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

keep; maintain; sustain

Context example:

There's little to earn and many to keep

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

have; have got; hold (have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

patronage (support by being a patron of)

reseed (maintain by seeding without human intervention)

carry (keep up with financial support)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

keep (the financial means whereby one lives)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Fail to spoil or rot

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

keep; stay fresh

Context example:

These potatoes keep for a long time

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

remain; rest; stay (stay the same; remain in a certain state)

Verb group:

keep; preserve (prevent (food) from rotting)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence example:

This food does keep well

Sense 13

Meaning:

Behave as expected during of holidays or rites

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

celebrate; keep; observe

Context example:

Observe Yom Kippur

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

commemorate; mark (celebrate by some ceremony or observation)

solemnise; solemnize (observe or perform with dignity or gravity)

mourn (observe the customs of mourning after the death of a loved one)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 14

Meaning:

Maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

keep; preserve

Context example:

May God keep you

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

protect (shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage)

Verb group:

keep (look after; be the keeper of; have charge of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 15

Meaning:

Raise

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

he keeps bees

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

farm; grow; produce; raise (cultivate by growing, often involving improvements by means of agricultural techniques)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

herd (keep, move, or drive animals)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 16

Meaning:

Retain rights to

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

hold open; keep; keep open; save

Context example:

keep open the possibility of a merger

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

book; hold; reserve (arrange for and reserve (something for someone else) in advance)

Verb group:

hold on; keep (retain possession of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 17

Meaning:

Store or keep customarily

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

Where do you keep your gardening tools?

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

store (find a place for and put away for storage)

Verb group:

keep (have as a supply)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 18

Meaning:

Have as a supply

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

She keeps a sixpack and a week's worth of supplies in the refrigerator

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

have; have got; hold (have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense)

Verb group:

keep (store or keep customarily)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 19

Meaning:

Maintain for use and service

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

keep; maintain

Context example:

She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

have; have got; hold (have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 20

Meaning:

Hold and prevent from leaving

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

The student was kept after school

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

confine; detain (deprive of freedom; take into confinement)

Verb group:

keep; prevent (stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

keep (a cell in a jail or prison)

Sense 21

Meaning:

Prevent the action or expression of

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

hold back; keep; keep back; restrain

Context example:

she struggled to restrain her impatience at the delays

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

hold (keep from exhaling or expelling)

check; contain; control; curb; hold; hold in; moderate (lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits)

confine (prevent from leaving or from being removed)

swallow (keep from expressing)

baffle; regulate (restrain the emission of (sound, fluid, etc.))

harness; rein; rule (keep in check)

blink; blink away; wink (keep back by blinking)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 22

Meaning:

Prevent (food) from rotting

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

keep; preserve

Context example:

keep potatoes fresh

Hypernyms (to "keep" is one way to...):

cook; fix; make; prepare; ready (prepare for eating by applying heat)

Verb group:

keep; stay fresh (fail to spoil or rot)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "keep"):

salt; corn (preserve with salt)

cure (prepare by drying, salting, or chemical processing in order to preserve)

refrigerate (preserve by chilling)

can; put up; tin (preserve in a can or tin)

pickle (preserve in a pickling liquid)

dehydrate; desiccate (preserve by removing all water and liquids from)

conserve (preserve with sugar)

freeze-dry (preserve by rapid freezing and subsequently drying in a vacuum)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Thus White Fang was kept in training.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Anesthesia keeps patients from feeling pain during surgery or other procedures.

(Anesthesia, NCI Dictionary)

“About keeping house, for instance,” said Miss Betsey.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Afatinib dimaleate blocks certain EGFRs, which may help keep cancer cells from growing.

(Afatinib dimaleate, NCI Dictionary)

It helps control the balance of water and salts in the kidney by keeping sodium in and releasing potassium from the body.

(Aldosterone, NCI Dictionary)

However, some drugs may help keep symptoms from getting worse for a limited time.

(Alzheimer's Disease, NIH: National Institute on Aging)

This may help keep bone from breaking down and cancer cells from growing.

(AMG 162, NCI Dictionary)

Anti-VEGFR monoclonal antibodies bind to receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and keeps VEGF from binding to them.

(anti-VEGFR monoclonal antibody, NCI Dictionary)

This keeps VEGF from binding to the receptors and may stop the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow.

(anti-VEGFR-2 fully human monoclonal antibody IMC-1121B, NCI Dictionary)

I was in a terrible fright, and kept as far as I could from the edge, for fear of falling.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)