ki:p v. & n. --v. (past
and past part. kept) 1 tr.
have continuous charge of;
retain possession of. 2 tr. (foll. by for) retain or
reserve for a
future occasion or
time (will keep it for tomorrow). 3 tr. & intr. retain or
remain in a specified
condition,
position,
course, etc. (keep
cool; keep
off the grass; keep
them happy). 4 tr. put or
store in a
regular place (knives are
kept in
this drawer). 5 tr. (foll. by from)
cause to
avoid or
abstain from something (will keep
you from
going too fast). 6 tr.
detain; cause to be
late (what kept you?). 7 tr. a
observe or pay
due regard to (a
law,
custom, etc.) (keep one's word). b
honour or
fulfil (a
commitment,
undertaking, etc.). c
respect the commitment implied by (a
secret etc.). d
act fittingly on the occasion of (keep the sabbath). 8 tr.
own and
look after (animals) for
amusement or
profit (keeps bees). 9 tr. a
provide for the
sustenance of (a
person,
family, etc.). b (foll. by in)
maintain (a person)
with a supply of. 10 tr.
carry on;
manage (a
shop,
business, etc.). 11 a tr. maintain (accounts, a
diary, etc.) by
making the
requisite entries. b tr. maintain (a house) in
proper order. 12 tr. have (a commodity) regularly on
sale (do you keep buttons?). 13 tr.
guard or
protect (a person or place, a
goal in
football, etc.). 14 tr.
preserve in
being;
continue to have (keep order). 15 intr. (foll. by
verbal noun) continue or do repeatedly or habitually (why do you keep
saying that?). 16 tr. continue to
follow (a
way or course). 17 intr. a (esp. of
perishable commodities) remain in
good condition. b (of
news or
information etc.)
admit of being withheld for a time. 18 tr. remain in (one's
bed,
room,
house, etc.). 19 tr. retain one's place in (a
seat or
saddle, one's ground, etc.)
against opposition or
difficulty. 20 tr. maintain (a person) in
return for
sexual favours (a kept woman). --n. 1
maintenance or the essentials for this (esp. food) (hardly
earn your keep). 2 charge or
control (is in your keep). 3
hist. a
tower or
stronghold. øfor keeps colloq. (esp. of something received or won) permanently,
indefinitely. how are you keeping? how are you? keep at
persist or cause to persist with. keep
away (often foll. by from) 1 avoid being
near. 2
prevent from being near. keep
back 1 remain or keep at a
distance. 2
retard the
progress of. 3
conceal;
decline to
disclose. 4 retain,
withhold (kept back ø50). keep one's
balance 1 remain stable; avoid falling. 2 retain one's
composure. keep down 1 hold in subjection. 2 keep low in
amount. 3 lie low; stay
hidden. 4 manage
not to
vomit (food eaten). keep one's
feet manage not to
fall. keep-fit regular exercises to
promote personal fitness and
health. keep one's
hair on see HAIR. keep one's
hand in see HAND. keep in 1
confine or
restrain (one's feelings etc.). 2 remain or confine
indoors. 3 keep (a fire)
burning. keep in with remain on good terms with. keep off 1 stay or cause to stay away from. 2
ward off;
avert. 3 abstain from. 4 avoid (a subject) (let's keep off religion). keep on 1 continue to do something; do continually (kept on laughing). 2 continue to
use or
employ. 3 (foll. by at)
pester or
harass. keep
out 1 keep or remain
outside. 2
exclude. keep
state 1 maintain one's
dignity. 2 be
difficult of
access. keep to 1
adhere to (a course,
schedule, etc.). 2 observe (a promise). 3 confine
oneself to. keep to oneself 1 avoid
contact with others. 2 refuse to disclose or share. keep
together remain or keep in
harmony. keep track of see
TRACK(1). keep
under hold in subjection. keep up 1 maintain (progress etc.). 2 prevent (prices, one's spirits, etc.) from sinking. 3 keep in repair, in an
efficient or proper state, etc. 4 carry on (a
correspondence etc.). 5 prevent (a person) from going to bed,
esp.
when late. 6 (often foll. by with) manage not to fall
behind. keep up with the Joneses
strive to
compete socially with one's neighbours. keep one's
word see WORD. øøkeepable adj. [OE cepan, of unkn. orig.]