Keep

Meaning

Keep means to continue to have, hold, or possess something rather than giving it away or losing it. It can also mean to continue doing something, to store something, or to make someone or something remain in a particular condition or place.

Pronunciation

/kiːp/

Word Forms

• Base form: keep
• Past tense: kept
• Past participle: kept
• Present participle: keeping
• Noun: keeper

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

• keep a promise — to do what you promised to do.
• keep a secret — to avoid telling other people something that should remain private.
• keep in touch — to continue communicating with someone.
• keep calm — to remain calm in a difficult or stressful situation.
• keep track of something — to continue to know where something is or how something is developing.
• keep something safe — to protect something from being lost, damaged, or stolen.

Example Sentences

• She decided to keep the letter as a reminder of that day.
• Please keep the door closed.
• He promised to keep the secret.
• They have kept in touch for many years.
• Try to keep calm while we figure out what happened.

Literary Example

Example:

“I shall keep a diary.”

— Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Here, keep means to maintain or continue something over time. Anne is expressing her intention to continue writing and maintaining a personal diary.

Story Workshop

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Related Words

Continue exploring words that begin with the letter K.

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