English
keep
see also: Keep
Pronunciation
  • enPR: kēp, IPA: /kiːp/, [kʰip̚]
Etymology 1

From Middle English kepen, from Old English cēpan, from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *kōpijaną (compare Western Frisian kypje), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵab-, *ǵāb- (compare Lithuanian žẽbti, Russian забо́та).

Verb

keep (keeps, present participle keeping; simple past and past participle kept)

  1. (transitive) To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.
    to keep silence;  to keep possession
  2. (transitive) To remain faithful to a given promise or word.
      to keep one's word;  to keep one's promise
    Synonyms: fullfill
    • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act V, scene i]:
      Both day and night did we keep company.
    • 1749, [Tobias George Smollett], The Regicide: Or, James the First, of Scotland. A Tragedy. […], London: […] [F]or the benefit of the author, →OCLC ↗, Act V, scene v, page 70 ↗:
      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— […]
  3. (transitive) To hold the status of something.
    1. To maintain possession of.
      I keep a small stock of painkillers for emergencies.
    2. (ditransitive) To maintain the condition of; to preserve in a certain state.
      I keep my specimens under glass to protect them.
      The abundance of squirrels kept the dogs running for hours.
      • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter X, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC ↗:
        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.
    3. (transitive) To record transactions, accounts, or events in.
      I used to keep a diary.
    4. (transitive) To enter (accounts, records, etc.) in a book.
    5. (archaic) To remain in; to be confined to.
      • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC ↗:
        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 […].
      • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene ii]:
        The wrathful skies / Gallow the very wanderers of the dark / And make them keep their caves.
      • 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC ↗:
        "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."
    6. To restrain.
      I keep my pet gerbil away from my brother.
      Don't let me keep you; I know you have things to be doing.
    7. (with from) To watch over, look after, guard, protect.
      May the Lord keep you from harm.
      • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗:
        cursse on thy cruell hond, / That twise hath sped; yet shall it not thee keepe / From the third brunt of this my fatall brond […]
    8. To supply with necessities and financially support (a person).
      He kept a mistress for over ten years.
    9. (of living things) To raise; to care for.
      He has been keeping orchids since retiring.
    10. To refrain from freely disclosing (a secret).
    11. To maintain (an establishment or institution); to conduct; to manage.
      • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene ii]:
        like a pedant that keeps a school
      • 1892, Walter Besant, chapter III, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC ↗:
        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.
    12. To have habitually in stock for sale.
  4. (intransitive) To hold or be held in a state.
    1. (obsolete) To reside for a time; to lodge; to dwell.
      She kept to her bed while the fever lasted.
      • c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act V, scene ii]:
        Knock at his study, where, they say, he keeps, / To ruminate strange plots of dire revenge; […]
    2. To continue.
      I keep taking the tablets, but to no avail.
      • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:
        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 had perhaps spared no pains to keep on good terms with the local constabulary.
    3. To remain edible or otherwise usable.
      Potatoes can keep if they are in a root cellar.
      Latex paint won't keep indefinitely.
    4. (copulative) To remain in a state.
      The rabbit avoided detection by keeping still.
      Keep calm! There's no need to panic.
  5. (obsolete) To wait for, keep watch for.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/MaloryWks2/1:10.10?rgn=div2;view=fulltext X], in Le Morte Darthur, book VIII:
      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
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  6. (intransitive, cricket) To act as wicket-keeper.
    Godfrey Evans kept for England for many years.
  7. (intransitive, obsolete) To take care; to be solicitous; to watch.
  8. (intransitive, obsolete) To be in session; to take place.
    School keeps today.
  9. (transitive) To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; to not swerve from or violate.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, 2 Timothy 4:7 ↗:
      I have kept the faith: […]
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗, lines 1271–1272:
      Be strong, live happie, and love, but first of all / Him whom to love is to obey, and keep / His great command; […]
  10. (transitive, dated, by extension) To visit (a place) often; to frequent.
  11. (transitive, dated) To observe or celebrate (a holiday).
    to keep the Sabbath
    The feast of St. Stephen is kept on December 26.
    • 1843 December 18, Charles Dickens, “Stave I. Marley’s Ghost.”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC ↗, page 8 ↗:
      "Nephew!" returned the uncle sternly, "keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine."
Synonyms Related terms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Etymology 2

From Middle English kepe, kep, from the verb (see above).

Noun

keep

  1. (historical) The main tower of a castle or fortress, located within the castle walls.
    Synonyms: donjon
  2. The food or money required to keep someone alive and healthy; one's support, maintenance.
    He works as a cobbler's apprentice for his keep.
  3. (obsolete) The act or office of keeping; custody; guard; care; heed; charge; notice.
    • 1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum XXIII”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book VII, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC ↗; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC ↗:
      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 […].
      So Sir Gareth strained him, so that his old wound brast again a-bleeding; but he was hot and courageous and took no keep, but with his great force he struck down the knight […].
    • 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “December. Ægloga Duodecima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, […], →OCLC ↗:
      Pan, thou god of shepherds all, / Which of our tender lambkins takest keep.
  4. The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case.
    to be in good keep
  5. (obsolete) That which is kept in charge; a charge.
    • 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “Iuly. Ægloga Septima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, […], →OCLC ↗:
      Often he used of his keep / A sacrifice to bring.
  6. (engineering) A cap for holding something, such as a journal box, in place.
Translations Translations
Keep
Proper noun
  1. Surname.


This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
Offline English dictionary