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    keep
    [kēp]
    verb
    keep (verb) · keeps (third person present) · kept (past tense) · kept (past participle) · keeping (present participle)
    1. have or retain possession of:
      "return one copy to me, keeping the other for your files" · "my father would keep the best for himself" · "she had trouble keeping her balance"
      • put or store in a regular place:
        "his personal work was kept securely in an upstairs studio"
    2. cause to continue in a specified condition, position, course, etc.:
      "the guidance system keeps the machine on course" · "he kept his eyes on the road" · "keep your hands off me" · "she might be kept alive artificially by machinery"
      • continue in a specified condition, position, course, etc.:
        "I kept quiet while Emily talked on" · "keep left along the wall"
      • continue doing or do repeatedly or habitually:
        "he keeps going on about the accident"
      • (of a perishable commodity) remain in good condition:
        "fresh ginger does not keep well"
      • retain one's place in or on (a seat or saddle, the ground, etc.) against opposition or difficulty:
        "are you able to keep your saddle?"
      • make (someone) do something for a period of time:
        "I have kept her waiting too long"
      • delay or detain; cause to be late:
        "I won't keep you, I know you've got a busy evening"
      • archaic
        continue to follow (a way, path, or course):
        "the friars and soldiers removed, keeping their course toward Jericho"
    3. provide for the sustenance of (someone):
      "he had to keep his large family in the manner he had chosen"
      • own and look after (an animal) for pleasure or profit:
        "they raised pigs and kept a pony or two"
      • own and manage (a shop or business).
      • guard; protect:
        "the boy keeps the sheep" · "“God keep you,” he muttered"
      • support (someone, especially a woman) financially in return for sexual favors:
        "a kept woman"
    4. honor or fulfill (a commitment or undertaking):
      "I'll keep my promise, naturally"
      • observe (a religious occasion) in the prescribed manner:
        "today's consumers do not keep the Sabbath"
      • pay due regard to (a law or custom):
        "if you kept small rules, you could break the big ones"
    5. make written entries in (a diary) on a regular basis:
      "the master kept a weekly journal"
      • write down as (a record):
        "keep a note of the whereabouts of each item"
    noun
    keep (noun) · keeps (plural noun)
    1. food, clothes, and other essentials for living:
      "working overtime to earn his keep"
      • the cost of basic living essentials.
    2. archaic
      charge; control:
      "if from shepherd's keep a lamb strayed far"
    3. the strongest or central tower of a castle, acting as a final refuge.
    Origin
    late Old English cēpan ‘seize, take in’, also ‘care for, attend to’, of unknown origin.
    Translate keep to
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    Similar and Opposite Words
    verb
    1. cause to continue in a specified condition, position, course, etc.:
      remain
      stay
      continue to be
      carry on being
      go on being
      persist in being
      not cease to be
    2. provide for the sustenance of (someone):
      support
      feed
      maintain
      sustain
      subsidize
      finance
      take care of
      look after
      nurture
      nourish
      provide for
      provide food for
      provide sustenance for
      provide board for
      keep alive
    3. honor or fulfill (a commitment or undertaking):
      obey
      respect
      observe
      stick to
      heed
      follow
      fulfill
      carry out
      act on
      make good
      honor
      keep to
      redeem
      stand by
      execute
      discharge
      perform
      effectuate
      comply with
      conform to
      abide by
      act in accordance with
      act according to
      have regard to
      pay attention to
      defer to
      take notice of
      be bound by
      keep faith with
      adhere to
      Opposite:
      break
      disobey
    noun
    1. food, clothes, and other essentials for living:
      maintenance
      upkeep
      support
      sustenance
      subsistence
      board
      room and board
      food
      nourishment
      nurture
      living
      livelihood
      means
      • charge; control:
        safe keeping
        care
        custody
        charge
        possession
        trust
        protection
        safeguard
        guardianship
        trusteeship
        tutelage
        supervision
        protectorship
      • the strongest or central tower of a castle, acting as a final refuge.
        fortress
        fort
        stronghold
        tower
        donjon
        castle
        citadel
        bastion
        fortification
        fastness
        hold
        dungeon
       
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    1. Merriam Webster
      https://www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › keep

      Keep Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

       
    2. Cambridge Dictionary
      https://dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english › keep

      KEEP | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

    3. The Free Dictionary
      https://www.thefreedictionary.com › keep

      Keep - definition of keep by The Free Dictionary

    4. People also ask
      What does keep going mean?
      1 to make an effort to live normally when you are in a difficult situation or when you have experienced great suffering You just have to keep yourself busy and keep going. 2 (informal) used to encourage someone to continue doing something Keep going, Sarah, you're nearly there.

      keep verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes

      oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
      What does keep off mean?
      Doctors will keep her in hospital for at least another week. [VERB noun preposition] If you keep off something or keep away from it, you avoid it. If you keep out of something, you avoid getting involved in it. You can also say that you keep someone off, away from, or out of something. I managed to stick to the diet and keep off sweet foods.

      KEEP definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

      collinsdictionary.com
      What is the meaning of keep?
      To retain possession of. Kept the change; must keep your composure. To continue; go on; persevere or persist. To keep on talking. To take care of, or have and take care or charge of. To have as a supply. Keep spare parts in case of emergency. To provide (a family, for example) with maintenance and support. Care, charge, or custody.

      Keep Definition & Meaning - YourDictionary

      yourdictionary.com
      What does keep mean in a sentence?
      If you keep or you are kept in a particular position or place, you remain in it. Keep away from the doors while the train is moving. [VERB adverb/preposition] He kept his head down, hiding his features. [VERB noun with adverb] It was against all orders to smoke, but a cigarette kept away mosquitoes. [VERB noun with adverb]

      KEEP definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

      collinsdictionary.com
      What is the difference between keep and retain?
      These verbs mean to have and maintain in one's possession or control. Keep is the most general: We received a few offers but decided to keep the house. Retain means to continue to hold, especially in the face of possible loss: Though unhappy, he retained his sense of humor.

      Keep - definition of keep by The Free Dictionary

      thefreedictionary.com
      Where does the word keep come from?
      Word Origin late Old English cēpan ‘seize, take in’, also ‘care for, attend to’, of unknown origin. Idioms Most idioms containing keep are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example keep house is at house.

      keep - Oxford Learner's Dictionaries

      oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
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    5. Vocabulary.com
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      Keep - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms - Vocabulary.com

    6. Collins Dictionary
      https://www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english › keep

      KEEP definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

    7. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
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      keep verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes ...

    8. Collins Dictionary
      https://www.collinsdictionary.com › us › dictionary › english › keep

      KEEP definition in American English - Collins Online Dictionary

    9. Cambridge Dictionary
      https://dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-english › keep

      Meaning of keep – Learner’s Dictionary - Cambridge Dictionary

    10. Collins Dictionary
      https://www.collinsdictionary.com › ... › keep

      KEEP - Definition & Translations | Collins English Dictionary

    11. Cambridge Dictionary
      https://dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › english › keep

      KEEP | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

    12. Dictionary
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      KEEP Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

    13. Cambridge Dictionary
      https://dictionary.cambridge.org › ... › keep

      KEEP | English meaning - Cambridge Essential American

    14. Your Dictionary
      https://www.yourdictionary.com › keep

      Keep Definition & Meaning - YourDictionary

    15. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
      https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com...

      keep verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes ...

    16. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online
      https://www.ldoceonline.com › dictionary › keep

      keep | meaning of keep in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary …

    17. Collins Dictionary
      https://www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english-word › keep

      KEEP - Meaning & Translations | Collins English Dictionary

    18. WordReference
      https://www.wordreference.com › definition › keep

      keep - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

    19. Definitions.net
      https://www.definitions.net › definition › keep

      What does keep mean? - Definitions.net

    20. Cambridge Dictionary
      https://dictionary.cambridge.org › ... › keep

      KEEP definition | Cambridge Essential English Dictionary

    21. Cambridge Dictionary
      https://dictionary.cambridge.org › ... › keep

      KEEP | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary

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