the financial means whereby one lives; " each child was expected to pay for their keep"; " he applied to the state for support"; " he could no longer earn his own livelihood"

celebrate, as of holidays or rites; " Keep the commandments"; " celebrate Christmas"; " Observe Yom Kippur"

allow to remain in a place or position; " We cannot continue several servants any longer"; " She retains a lawyer"; " The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; " Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; " We kept the work going as long as we could"

continue a certain state, condition, or activity; " Keep on working!"; " We continued to work into the night"; " Keep smiling"; " We went on working until well past midnight"

the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress

a cell in a jail or prison

retain possession of; " Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; " She kept her maiden name after she married"

fail to spoil or rot; " These potatoes keep for a long time"

prevent from rotting, as of foods; " preserved meats"; " keep potatoes fresh"

observe correctly or closely; " The pianist kept time with the metronome"; " keep count"; " I cannot keep track of all my employees"

maintain by writing regular records; " keep a diary"; " maintain a record"; " keep notes"

supply with necessities and support; " She alone sustained her family"; " The money will sustain our good cause"; " There's little to earn and many to keep"

hold and prevent from leaving; " The student was kept after school"

maintain for use and service; " I keep a car in the countryside"; " She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips"

store or keep customarily; " Where do you keep your gardening tools?"

keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e. g., " keep clean"; " hold in place"; " She always held herself as a lady"; " The students keep me on my toes"

conform one's action or practice to; " keep appointments"; " she never keeps her promises"; " We kept to the original conditions of the contract"

prevent from doing something or being in a certain state; " We must prevent the cancer from spreading"; " His snoring kept me from falling asleep"; " Keep the child from eating the marbles"

prevent ( food) from rotting; " preserved meats"; " keep potatoes fresh"

look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; " He keeps the shop when I am gone"

have as a supply; " I always keep batteries in the freezer"; " keep food for a week in the pantry"; " She keeps a sixpack and a week's worth of supplies in the refrigerator"

supply with room and board; " He is keeping three women in the guest cottage"; " keep boarders"

raise; " She keeps a few chickens in the yard"; " he keeps bees"

maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger; " May God keep you"

To care; to desire.

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.

To cause to remain in a given situation or condition; to maintain unchanged; to hold or preserve in any state or tenor.

To have in custody; to have in some place for preservation; to take charge of.

To preserve from danger, harm, or loss; to guard.

To preserve from discovery or publicity; not to communicate, reveal, or betray, as a secret.

To attend upon; to have the care of; to tend.

To record transactions, accounts, or events in; as, to keep books, a journal, etc. ; also, to enter ( as accounts, records, etc. ) in a book.

To maintain, as an establishment, institution, or the like; to conduct; to manage; as, to keep store.

To supply with necessaries of life; to entertain; as, to keep boarders.

To have in one's service; to have and maintain, as an assistant, a servant, a mistress, a horse, etc.

To have habitually in stock for sale.

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.

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.

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.

To observe duty, as a festival, etc. ; to celebrate; to solemnize; as, to keep a feast.

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.

To last; to endure; to remain unimpaired.

To reside for a time; to lodge; to dwell.

To take care; to be solicitous; to watch.

To be in session; as, school keeps to- day.

The act or office of keeping; custody; guard; care; heed; charge.

The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case; as, to be in good keep.

The means or provisions by which one is kept; maintenance; support; as, the keep of a horse.

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 donjon. See Illust. of Castle.

That which is kept in charge; a charge.

A cap for retaining anything, as a journal box, in place.

To have the care of; guard; preserve; support; perform or observe; as, to keep a rule; maintain; as, to keep a servant; fulfil; as, to keep a promise; supply with the necessaries of life; detain; confine; hold back; as, to keep a secret.

To remain in any state or condition; as, she keeps cheerful; stay.

Means or provision by which one is kept; the stronghold or donjon of an ancient castle.

Kept.

Keeping.

To have the care of: to guard: to maintain: to have in one's service: to remain in: to adhere to: to practice: not to lose: to maintain hold upon: to restrain from departure: to preserve in a certain state.

To remain in any position or state: to last or endure: to adhere:- pr. p. keeping; pa. t. and pa. p. kept.

That which keeps or protects: the innermost and strongest part of a castle, the donjon: a stronghold.

KEEPER.

To guard; maintain; preserve; retain.

To stay; endure.

To have; hold; retain.

To protect; guard; defend.

To support; maintain.

To be faithful to, as a pledge or command.

To remain; stay; continue sound, sweet, fresh, or the like; endure.

Means of subsistence; livelihood.

A castle; fortress.

Care; condition, as the result of care; maintenance; that which protects; the central tower, innermost and strongest part, of a fendal castle, the place of final retreat when the garrison was hard pressed; a strong tower in the middle of a castle; a place of confinement.

To hold or retain; to have in custody for security; to preserve; to protect; to detain; to tend; to feed; to attend to; to conduct; to fulfil; to perform; to observe; to maintain; to supply with necessaries of life; to have in pay; to remain in; to keep in. To keep back, to reserve; to withhold; to restrain. To keep company with; to associate with; to accompany. To keep down, to prevent from rising. To keep in, to prevent from escape; to restrain; to subdue. To keep off, to hinder from approach or attack. To keep under, to restrain. To keep up, to maintain; to prevent from falling or diminution. To keep out, to hinder from entering or taking possession. To keep house, to maintain a family state; to be confined. To keep from, to restrain; to prevent approach. To keep a term, in universities, to reside during a term. To keep on foot, to maintain ready for action.

To remain in any state; to last; to endure; to lodge; to dwell. To keep from, to abstain; to refrain. To keep to, to adhere strictly. To keep on, to go forward; to proceed. To keep up, to remain unsubdued; to continue; not to cease.

To hold; to retain, as a thing in one's power or possession; to hold in charge; to protect; to support; to feed; to have the care of; to solemnise, as a day; to detain; to observe; to conceal; to remain in any state; to be durable; to adhere strictly to.

Condition, as in good keep; a stronghold in the middle of a castle.

He would keep his word, he said. – The Rector of St. Mark's by Mary J. Holmes

Can you keep one for me, now? – Dead Men's Money by J. S. Fletcher

I will keep my promise! – Monsieur Cherami by Charles Paul de Kock

He will go there, of course, and then we will keep him there. – Baron Trigault's Vengeance Volume 2 (of 2) by Emile Gaboriau

But do let us keep to Gwen and Adrian. – When Ghost Meets Ghost by William Frend De Morgan

On the back, in my father's hand, there was,-" Why won't they keep this look? – That Boy Of Norcott's by Charles James Lever

Father loved me too much and he wanted to keep me always with him. – The Captives by Hugh Walpole

Yes; if you do that, you may keep as many there as you choose. – San-Cravate; or, The Messengers; Little Streams by Charles Paul de Kock

I shall keep him. – The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) Last Updated: February 18, 2009

And for that very reason she must keep him off the business just as long as she can. – The Whirligig of Time by Wayland Wells Williams

We must keep on. – Lost in the Cañon by Alfred R. Calhoun

Do keep Mr. Avalons away from me, then. – The Dominant Strain by Anna Chapin Ray

" Will you not keep on to the house? – The Good Time Coming by T. S. Arthur

We will keep them. – Peter and Polly in Winter by Rose Lucia

Now, girls, keep back; I'm going to tell her first. – Five Little Peppers at School by Margaret Sidney

It will keep you- what you say? – The Blue Envelope by Roy J. Snell

They keep againin' on me all the time. – The Major by Ralph Connor

He couldn't keep his mind on it. – Slingshot by Irving W. Lande

But he did not keep him long. – Round-about Rambles in Lands of Fact and Fancy by Frank Richard Stockton