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keep

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To go on having something, or to hold it in a place.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

keep
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkip

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.

  2. transitive

    To hold the status of something.

  3. Retain possession of

    “Can I keep my old stuffed animals?”

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

  5. To maintain possession of.

  6. transitive

    To remain faithful to a given promise or word.

noun

  1. The food or money required to keep someone alive and healthy; one's support, maintenance.

  2. The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.

Used this way, keep is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use keep

  • “He keeps the shop when I am gone.”verb
  • “Can I keep my old stuffed animals?”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

keep track

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • keepingnounInflected form

    Conformity or harmony.

  • keepernounInflected form

    Someone in charge of other people.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • keep abreastverbCompound term

    Keep informed.

  • keep an eye onverbCompound term

    Follow with the eyes or the mind.

  • keep apartverbCompound term

    Set apart from others.

  • keep awayverbCompound term

    Prevent from coming close.

  • keep backverbCompound term

    Secure and keep for possible future use or application.

  • keep companyverbCompound term

    Be a companion to somebody.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

verb

Sense: to continue in (a course or mode of action)

holdretainmaintaincontinuekeep onpreventsaveobserve

noun

Sense: food

sustenance

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.