v. 1 retain, hold, hang on to, preserve, conserve, have, save, maintain, control The difficulty is not in making money but in keeping it 2 hold, have, take care or charge of, mind, tend, care for, look after, guard, keep an eye on, watch over, protect, safeguard; maintain, feed, nourish, victual, board, nurture, provide for, provision Would you keep this parcel for me until I return? They keep chickens and ducks 3 accumulate, save (up), amass, hoard (up), husband, retain, preserve, put or stow away My brother has kept all the toys he ever had 4 maintain, store, preserve I keep woollen things in a cedar chest 5 Often, keep on or at. continue, carry on, persist (in), persevere (in); prolong, sustain How did you keep going after Elsa's death? She kept at it all night long Keep on working till I tell you to stop. 6 keep to, abide by, follow, obey, mind, adhere to, attend to, pay attention to, heed, regard, observe, respect, acknowledge, defer to, accede (to), agree (to) Only a stickler would keep the letter of such a law 7 stay, remain Keep off the grass Keep to the left. 8 support, finance, provide for, subsidize, maintain He kept a mistress in Chelsea 9 confine, detain; imprison, incarcerate, jail or Brit also gaol The police have kept him overnight 10 celebrate, observe, solemnize, memorialize, commemorate We always kept Easter at my mother's house in the country 11 last, be preserved, survive, stand up, stay fresh Eggs keep longer in the refrigerator 12 harbour, maintain, safeguard, keep dark Can you keep a secret? 13 keep from prevent, keep or hold back, restrain, (hold in) check, restrict, prohibit, forbid, inhibit, disallow, block, obstruct, deny, curb, deter, discourage How can I keep my plants from dying while I'm away? 14 keep in a keep or hold back, repress, suppress, stifle, smother, muzzle, bottle up, withhold, conceal, hide, shroud, mask, camouflage She keeps in her true feelings He could hardly keep in the tears. b confine, shut in or up, coop up, detain; fence in Keith thought the teacher kept him in after school because she liked him
n. 15 upkeep, maintenance, support, room and board, subsistence, food, sustenance, living He works hard to earn his keep 16 donjon, tower, dungeon He was imprisoned in the keep of the castle for twenty years