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Webster 1913 Edition

Keep

Keep

(kēp)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Kept
(kĕpt)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Keeping
.]
[OE.
kēpen
, AS.
cēpan
to keep, regard, desire, await, take, betake; cf. AS.
copenere
lover, OE.
copnien
to desire.]
1.
To care; to desire.
[Obs.]
I
kepe
not of armes for to yelp [boast].
Chaucer.
2.
To hold; to restrain from departure or removal; not to let go of; to retain in one’s power or possession; not to lose; to retain; to detain.
If we lose the field,
We can not
keep
the town.
Shakespeare
That I may know what
keeps
me here with you.
Dryden.
If we would weigh and
keep
in our minds what we are considering, that would instruct us.
Locke.
3.
To cause to remain in a given situation or condition; to maintain unchanged; to hold or preserve in any state or tenor.
His loyalty he
kept
, his love, his zeal.
Milton.
Keep
a stiff rein, and move but gently on.
Addison.
☞ In this sense it is often used with prepositions and adverbs, as to keep away, to keep down, to keep from, to keep in, out, or off, etc. “To keep off impertinence and solicitation from his superior.”
Addison.
4.
To have in custody; to have in some place for preservation; to take charge of.
The crown of
Stephanus
, first king of Hungary, was always
kept
in the castle of Vicegrade.
Knolles.
5.
To preserve from danger, harm, or loss; to guard.
Behold, I am with thee, and will
keep
thee.
Gen. xxviii. 15.
6.
To preserve from discovery or publicity; not to communicate, reveal, or betray, as a secret.
Great are thy virtues . . . though
kept
from man.
Milton.
7.
To attend upon; to have the care of; to tend.
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to dress it and to
keep
it.
Gen. ii. 15.
In her girlish age, she
kept
sheep on the moor.
Carew.
8.
To record transactions, accounts, or events in;
as, to
keep
books, a journal, etc.
; also, to enter (as accounts, records, etc. ) in a book.
9.
To maintain, as an establishment, institution, or the like; to conduct; to manage;
as, to
keep
store
.
Like a pedant that
keeps
a school.
Shakespeare
Every one of them
kept
house by himself.
Hayward.
10.
To supply with necessaries of life; to entertain;
as, to
keep
boarders
.
11.
To have in one's service; to have and maintain, as an assistant, a servant, a mistress, a horse, etc.
I
keep
but three men and a boy.
Shakespeare
12.
To have habitually in stock for sale.
13.
To continue in, as a course or mode of action; not to intermit or fall from; to hold to; to maintain;
as, to
keep
silence; to
keep
one's word; to
keep
possession.
Both day and night did we
keep
company.
Shakespeare
Within this portal as I
kept
my watch.
Smollett.
14.
To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; not to swerve from or violate; to practice or perform, as duty; not to neglect; to be faithful to.
I have
kept
the faith.
2 Tim. iv. 7.
Him whom to love is to obey, and
keep

His great command.
Milton.
15.
To confine one's self to; not to quit; to remain in;
as, to
keep
one's house, room, bed, etc.
; hence, to haunt; to frequent.
Shak.
'Tis hallowed ground;
Fairies, and fawns, and satyrs do it
keep
.
J. Fletcher.
16.
To observe duly, as a festival, etc.; to celebrate; to solemnize;
as, to
keep
a feast
.
I went with them to the house of God . . . with a multitude that
kept
holyday.
Ps. xlii. 4.
Syn. – To retain; detain; reserve; preserve; hold; restrain; maintain; sustain; support; withhold.
– To
Keep
.
Retain
,
Preserve
. Keep is the generic term, and is often used where retain or preserve would too much restrict the meaning; as, to keep silence, etc. Retain denotes that we keep or hold things, as against influences which might deprive us of them, or reasons which might lead us to give them up; as, to retain vivacity in old age; to retain counsel in a lawsuit; to retain one's servant after a reverse of fortune. Preserve denotes that we keep a thing against agencies which might lead to its being destroyed or broken in upon; as, to preserve one's health; to preserve appearances.

Keep

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To remain in any position or state; to continue; to abide; to stay;
as, to
keep
at a distance; to
keep
aloft; to
keep
near; to
keep
in the house; to
keep
before or behind; to
keep
in favor; to
keep
out of company, or out reach.
2.
To last; to endure; to remain unimpaired.
If the malt be not thoroughly dried, the ale it makes will not
keep
.
Mortimer.
3.
To reside for a time; to lodge; to dwell.
[Now disused except locally or colloquially.]
Knock at his study, where, they say, he
keeps
.
Shakespeare
4.
To take care; to be solicitous; to watch.
[Obs.]
Keep
that the lusts choke not the word of God that is in us.
Tyndale.
5.
To be in session;
as, school
keeps
to-day
.
[Colloq.]
To keep from
,
to abstain or refrain from.
–
To keep in with
,
to keep on good terms with;
as,
to keep in with
an opponent
.
–
To keep on
,
to go forward; to proceed; to continue to advance.
–
To keep to
,
to adhere strictly to; not to neglect or deviate from;
as,
to keep to
old customs;
to keep to
a rule;
to keep to
one's word or promise
.
–
To keep up
,
to remain unsubdued; also, not to be confined to one's bed.

Keep

,
Noun.
1.
The act or office of keeping; custody; guard; care; heed; charge.
Chaucer.
Pan, thou god of shepherds all,
Which of our tender lambkins takest
keep
.
Spenser.
2.
The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case;
as, to be in good
keep
.
3.
The means or provisions by which one is kept; maintenance; support;
as, the
keep
of a horse
.
Grass equal to the
keep
of seven cows.
Carlyle.
I performed some services to the college in return for my
keep
.
T. Hughes.
4.
That which keeps or protects; a stronghold; a fortress; a castle; specifically, the strongest and securest part of a castle, often used as a place of residence by the lord of the castle, especially during a siege; the dungeon. See Illust. of
Castle
.
The prison strong,
Within whose
keep
the captive knights were laid.
Dryden.
The lower chambers of those gloomy
keeps
.
Hallam.
I think . . . the
keep
, or principal part of a castle, was so called because the lord and his domestic circle
kept
, abode, or lived there.
M. A. Lower.
5.
That which is kept in charge; a charge.
[Obs.]
Often he used of his
keep

A sacrifice to bring.
Spenser.
6.
(Mach.)
A cap for retaining anything, as a journal box, in place.
To take keep
,
to take care; to heed.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

Webster 1828 Edition

Keep

KEEP

,
Verb.
T.
pret. and pp. kept. [L. habeo, and capio.]
1.
To hold; to retain in one's power or possession; not to lose or part with; as, to keep a house or a farm; to keep any thing in the memory, mind or heart.
2.
To have in custody for security or preservation.
The crown of Stephanus, first king of Hungary,was always kept in the castle of Vicegrade.
3.
To preserve; to retain.
The Lord God, merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for thousands--Ex.34.
4.
To preserve from falling or from danger; to protect; to guard or sustain.
And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee. Gen.28. Luke 4.
5.
To hold or restrain from departure; to detain.
--That I may know what keeps me here with you.
6.
To tend; to have the care of.
And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it. Gen.2.
7.
To tend; to feed; to pasture; as, to keep a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle in a yard or in a field. He keeps his horses on oats or on hay.
8.
To preserve in any tenor or state. Keep a stiff rein.
Keep the constitution sound.
9.
To regard; to attend to.
While the stars and course of heaven I keep--
10. To hold in any state; as, to keep in order.
11. To continue any state, course or action; as, to keep silence; to keep the same road or the same pace; to keep reading or talking; to keep a given distance.
12. To practice; to do or perform; to obey; to observe in practice; not to neglect or violate; as, to keep the laws, statutes or commandments of God.
13. To fulfill; to perform; as, to keep one's word,promise or covenant.
14. To practice; to use habitually; as, to keep bad hours.
15. To copy carefully.
Her servant's eyes were fix'd upon her face,
And as she moved or turned,her motions viewed,
Her measures kept, and step by step pursued.
16. To observe or solemnize.
17. To board; to maintain; to supply with necessaries of life. The men are kept at a moderate price per week.
18. To have in the house; to entertain; as, to keep lodgers.
19. To maintain; not to intermit; as, to keep watch or guard.
20. To hold in one's own bosom; to confine to one's own knowledge; not to disclose or communicate to others; not to betray; as, to keep a secret; to keep one's own counsel.
21. To have in pay; as, to keep a servant.
To keep back, to reserve; to withhold; not to disclose or communicate.
I will keep nothing back from you. Jer.42.
1.
To restrain;; to prevent from advancing.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins. Ps.19.
2.
To reserve; to withhold; not to deliver. Acts.5.
To keep company with, to frequent the society of; to associate with. Let youth keep company with the wise and good.
To accompany; to go with; as, to keep company with one on a journey or voyage.
To keep down, to prevent from rising; not to lift or suffer to be raised.
To keep in, to prevent from escape; to hold in confinement.
1.
To conceal; not to tell or disclose.
2.
To restrain; to curb.
To keep off, to hinder from approach or attack; as, to keep off an enemy or an evil.
To keep under, to restrain; to hold in subjection; as, to keep under an antagonist or a conquered country; to keep under the appetites and passions.
To keep up, to maintain; to prevent from falling or diminution; as, to keep up the price of goods; to keep up one's credit.
1.
To maintain; to continue; to hinder from ceasing.
In joy, that which keeps up the action is the desire to continue it.keep out, to hinder from entering or taking possession.
To keep bed, to remain in bed without rising; to be confined to one's bed.
To keep house, to maintain a family state.
His income enables him to keep house.
1.
To remain in the house; to be confined.
His feeble health obliges him to keep house.
To keep from, to restrain; to prevent approach.
To keep a school, to maintain or support it; as, the town or its inhabitants keep ten schools; more properly, to govern and instruct or teach a school, as a preceptor.

KEEP

,
Verb.
I.
To remain in any state; as, to keep at a distance; to keep aloft; to keep near; to keep in the house; to keep before or behind; to keep in favor; to keep out of company, or out of reach.
1.
To last; to endure; not to perish or be impaired. Seek for winter's use apples that will keep.
If the malt is not thoroughly dried,the ale it makes will not keep.
2.
To lodge; to dwell; to reside for a time.
Knock at the study, where, they say, he keeps.
To keep to, to adhere strictly; not to neglect or deviate from; as, to keep to old customs; to keep to a rule; to keep to one's word or promise.
To keep on, to go forward; to proceed; to continue to advance.
To keep up, to remain unsubdued; or not to be confined to one's bed.
In popular language, this word signifies to continue; to repeat continually; not to cease.

KEEP

,
Noun.
Custody; guard. [Little used.]
1.
Colloquially, case; condition; as in good keep.
2.
Guardianship; restraint. [Little used.]
3.
A place of confinement; in old castles,the dungeon.

Definition 2024

keep

keep

See also: көөр

English

Verb

keep ‎(third-person singular simple present keeps, present participle keeping, simple past and past participle kept)

  1. To continue in (a course or mode of action); not to intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.
    to keep silence;  to keep one's word;  to keep possession‎
  2. (heading, transitive) To hold the status of something.
    1. To maintain possession of.
      I keep a small stock of painkillers for emergencies.‎
    2. To maintain the condition of.
      I keep my specimens under glass to protect them.‎
      The abundance of squirrels kept the dogs running for hours.‎
      • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 10, in The Celebrity:
        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.
      • 1935, George Goodchild, chapter 1, in Death on the Centre Court:
        She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill.
    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.
      • 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, III.ii,
        The wrathful skies / Gallow the very wanderers of the dark / And make them keep their caves.
    6. To restrain.
      I keep my brother out of trouble by keeping him away from his friends and hard at work.‎
    7. (with from) To watch over, look after, guard, protect.
      May the Lord keep you from harm.‎
      • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.viii:
        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.‎
      • 1914, Robert Joos, Success with Hens, Forbes & company, p.217:
        Of course boys are boys and need watching, but there is little watching necessary when they keep chickens.
      • 2011 December 14, Steven Morris, “Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave”, in The Guardian:
        Jailing her on Wednesday, magistrate Liz Clyne told Robins: "You have shown little remorse either for the death of the kitten or the trauma to your former friend Sarah Knutton." She was also banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
    10. To maintain (an establishment or institution); to conduct; to manage.
      • William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
        like a pedant that keeps a school
      • Sir John Hayward (c.1564-1627)
        They were honourably brought to London, where every one of them kept house by himself.
      • 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate, chapter III:
        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.
    11. To have habitually in stock for sale.
  3. (heading, 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.‎
    2. To continue.
      I keep taking the tablets, but to no avail.‎
      • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 22, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
        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.
      • 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
        Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […] But the scandals kept coming, and so we entered stage three – what therapists call "bargaining". A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.
    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.‎
  4. (obsolete) To wait for, keep watch for.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter 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
  5. (intransitive, cricket) To act as wicket-keeper.
    Godfrey Evans kept for England for many years.‎
  6. (intransitive, obsolete) To take care; to be solicitous; to watch.
    • William Tyndale (1494-1536)
      Keep that the lusts choke not the word of God that is in us.
  7. (intransitive, obsolete) To be in session; to take place.
    School keeps today.‎
  8. (transitive) To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; not to swerve from or violate.
    • Bible, 2 Timothy iv. 7
      I have kept the faith.
    • John Milton (1608-1674)
      Him whom to love is to obey, and keep / His great command.
  9. (transitive, dated) To confine oneself to; not to quit; to remain in.
    to keep one's house, room, bed, etc.‎
  10. (transitive, dated, by extension) To visit (a place) often; to frequent.
    • John Fletcher (1579-1625)
      'Tis hallowed ground; / Fairies, and fawns, and satyrs do it keep.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Look at pages starting with keep.

Related terms

Translations

Noun

keep ‎(plural keeps)

  1. (obsolete) Care, notice
  2. (historical) The main tower of a castle or fortress, located within the castle walls. (According to Wikipedia:keep, the word comes "from the Middle English term kype, meaning basket or cask, and was a term applied to the shell keep at Guînes, said to resemble a barrel".)
  3. 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.
  4. The act or office of keeping; custody; guard; care; heed; charge.
    • Spenser
      Pan, thou god of shepherds all, / Which of our tender lambkins takest keep.
  5. The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case.
    to be in good keep
  6. (obsolete) That which is kept in charge; a charge.
    • Spenser
      Often he used of his keep / A sacrifice to bring.
  7. (engineering) A cap for holding something, such as a journal box, in place.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: half · certain · sent · #271: keep · myself · morning · money

Anagrams

Estonian

Noun

keep ‎(genitive keebi, partitive keepi)

  1. cloak, capote, gaberdine

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Middle English

Noun

keep

  1. note
    take keep — “take note”
    • Chaucer, G.P. 503-4:
      And shame it is, if a preest take keep
      A shiten shepherde and a clene sheep

Yucatec Maya

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /keːp˩/

Noun

keep (plural keepo’ob)

  1. (anatomy) ****

Synonyms

Etymology

From Middle English kepen ‎(“to keep, guard, look after, watch”), from Old English cēpan ‎(“to seize, hold, observe”), from Proto-Germanic *kōpijaną (compare West Frisian kypje ‘to look’), variant of *kapjaną (compare Old English capian ‘to look’, Dutch kapen ‘to seize, snatch’, German gaffen ‘to gape’, Danish kope ‎(“to gawk, stare”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵab-, *ǵāb- ‎(“to look after”) (compare Lithuanian žẽbti ‘to eat reluctantly’, Russian забо́та ‎(zabóta) ‘care, worry’).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: kēp, IPA(key): /kiːp/
  • Rhymes: -iːp

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