KEEP: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for KEEP?

Need another word that means the same as “keep”? Find 132 synonyms and 30 related words for “keep” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Keep” are: maintain, observe, continue, go along, go on, proceed, preserve, celebrate, hold back, keep back, restrain, prevent, hold on, sustain, hold open, keep open, save, stay fresh, hold, keep on, retain, store, house, stow, keep a place for, put away, place, put, deposit, stack, pile, remain, continue to be, stay, carry on being, go on being, persist in being, not cease to be, persist in, carry on, do something constantly, do something incessantly, do something continually, not stop doing something, persevere, detain, cause to stay, cause to wait, keep waiting, provide for, support, provide food for, provide sustenance for, provide board for, feed, keep alive, subsidize, finance, breed, rear, raise, farm, manage, run, own, be the proprietor of, be in charge of, administer, organize, direct, keep up, operate, look after, superintend, tend, care for, take care of, mind, watch over, have charge of, be responsible for, comply with, obey, respect, conform to, abide by, stick to, act in accordance with, act according to, have regard to, heed, follow, pay attention to, defer to, take notice of, honour, hold sacred, recognize, acknowledge, donjon, dungeon, bread and butter, livelihood, living, sustenance, maintenance, upkeep, subsistence, board, board and lodging, food, nourishment, nurture, safe keeping, care, custody, charge, possession, trust, protection, safeguard, fortress, fort, stronghold, tower, castle, citadel, bastion, fortification, fastness

Keep as a Noun

Definitions of "Keep" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “keep” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• Charge; control.
• The cost of the essentials for living.
• The financial means whereby one lives.
• The main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress.
• A cell in a jail or prison.
• The strongest or central tower of a castle, acting as a final refuge.
• Food, clothes, and other essentials for living.

Synonyms of "Keep" as a noun (33 Words)

bastion	A natural rock formation resembling a man made bastion. Cricket s last bastion of discrimination.
board	A flat portable surface usually rectangular designed for board games. You kick turn with both feet on the board.
board and lodging	Electrical device consisting of a flat insulated surface that contains switches and dials and meters for controlling other electrical devices.
bread and butter	Informal terms for money.
care	Serious attention or consideration applied to doing something correctly or to avoid damage or risk. She was driving along without a care in the world.
castle	Interchanging the positions of the king and a rook. The crumbling stonework of a ruined castle.
charge	The price charged for some article or service. The people in her charge are pupils and not experimental subjects.
citadel	A meeting hall of the Salvation Army. Citadels of private economic power.
custody	Imprisonment. He was trying to get custody of their child.
donjon	The main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress.
dungeon	A strong underground prison cell, especially in a castle.
fastness	A strongly fortified defensive structure. A remote Himalayan mountain fastness.
food	Any solid substance (as opposed to liquid) that is used as a source of nourishment. Music is food for the soul.
fort	A fortified building or strategic position. The city was guarded by a ring of forts.
fortification	Defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it. The building and maintenance of fortifications.
fortress	A fortified defensive structure. He had proved himself to be a fortress of moral rectitude.
hold	A stronghold. He ordered a hold in the action.
livelihood	The financial means whereby one lives. He could no longer earn his own livelihood.
living	People who are still living. The benefits of country living.
maintenance	Means of maintenance of a family or group. A divorced man paying his ex wife 2 500 a year maintenance.
nourishment	The act of nourishing. The nourishment of our bodies and of our minds.
nurture	The properties acquired as a consequence of the way you were treated as a child. We are all what nature and nurture have made us.
possession	Anything owned or possessed. The landlord wishes to gain possession of the accommodation.
protection	Protection money paid to criminals especially on a regular basis. He made trade protection a plank in the party platform.
safe keeping	Strongbox where valuables can be safely kept.
safeguard	A precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc. The charity called for tougher safeguards to protect Britain s remaining natural forests.
stronghold	A place where a particular cause or belief is strongly defended or upheld. A Labour stronghold.
subsistence	The state of existing in reality; having substance. Social security provided only a bare subsistence.
support	The action of supporting something or someone or the state of being supported. The study provides support for both theories.
sustenance	The maintaining of someone or something in life or existence. Poor rural economies turned to potatoes for sustenance.
tower	Anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower. A titanic tower of garbage.
trust	An organization or company managed by trustees. A charitable trust.
upkeep	Financial or material support of a person or animal. We will be responsible for the upkeep of the access road.

Usage Examples of "Keep" as a noun

• Each child was expected to pay for their keep.
• If from shepherd's keep a lamb strayed far.
• The Society are paying for your keep.

Keep as a Verb

Definitions of "Keep" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “keep” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Conform one's action or practice to.
• Keep under control; keep in check.
• Honour or fulfil (a commitment or undertaking.
• Support (someone, especially a woman) financially in return for sexual favours.
• Retain rights to.
• Maintain by writing regular records.
• Cause to continue in a specified condition, position, course, etc.
• Own and look after (an animal) for pleasure or profit.
• Continue in a specified condition, position, course, etc.
• Stick to correctly or closely.
• Maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger.
• Guard; protect.
• Allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature.
• Hold and prevent from leaving.
• Continue doing or do repeatedly.
• Have or retain possession of.
• Pay due regard to (a law or custom.
• Look after; be the keeper of; have charge of.
• Keep in a certain state, position, or activity.
• Behave as expected during of holidays or rites.
• Provide for the sustenance of (someone.
• Make written entries in (a diary) on a regular basis.
• Stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state.
• Be in a specified state of health.
• Prevent (food) from rotting.
• Supply with room and board.
• Have as a supply.
• Retain one's place in or on (a seat or saddle, the ground, etc.) in spite of difficulty.
• Supply with necessities and support.
• (of a perishable commodity) remain in good condition.
• Store or keep customarily.
• Prevent the action or expression of.
• Own and manage (a shop or business.
• Cause to be late; delay.
• Continue to follow (a path or course.
• Continue a certain state, condition, or activity.
• Retain possession of.
• Write down as (a record.
• Cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., `keep clean.
• Observe (a religious occasion) in the prescribed manner.
• Make (someone) do something for a period of time.
• Maintain for use and service.
• Put or store in a regular place.
• Raise.
• Fail to spoil or rot.

Synonyms of "Keep" as a verb (99 Words)

abide by	Put up with something or somebody unpleasant.
acknowledge	Confirm (receipt of something. We must acknowledge the kindness she showed towards us.
act according to	Pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind.
act in accordance with	Discharge one’s duties.
administer	Administer or bestow as in small portions. Administer critical remarks to everyone present.
be in charge of	Have life, be alive.
be responsible for	Have an existence, be extant.
be the proprietor of	Have life, be alive.
breed	Develop (a variety of animal or plant) for a particular purpose or quality. They breed their children to be in complete control of any social situation.
care for	Provide care for.
carry on	Have as an inherent or characteristic feature or have as a consequence.
carry on being	Have as an inherent or characteristic feature or have as a consequence.
cause to stay	Give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally.
cause to wait	Give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally.
celebrate	Honour or praise publicly. The film director was celebrated all over Hollywood.
comply with	Act in accordance with someone’s rules, commands, or wishes.
conform to	Be similar, be in line with.
continue	Continue talking he continued. He was unable to continue with his job.
continue to be	Allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature.
defer to	Yield to another’s wish or opinion.
deposit	Place (something) somewhere for safekeeping. Deposit the suitcase on the bench.
detain	Cause to be slowed down or delayed. She was detained without trial for two years.
direct	Direct the course determine the direction of travelling. He directed the children to do their homework.
do something constantly	Carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions.
do something continually	Be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity.
do something incessantly	Behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself.
farm	Be a farmer work as a farmer. He has farmed organically for years.
feed	Feed into supply. I could feed my melancholy by reading Romantic poetry.
finance	Obtain or provide money for. The health service is financed almost entirely by the taxpayer.
follow	Follow in or as if in pursuit. Please follow the guide through the museum.
go along	Lead, extend, or afford access.
go on	Go through in search of something; search through someone’s belongings in an unauthorized way.
go on being	Stop operating or functioning.
have charge of	Cause to be born.
have regard to	Have ownership or possession of.
heed	Pay close attention to give heed to. He should have heeded the warnings.
hold	Contain or hold have within. This basic argument holds for almost any economic model of competition.
hold back	To close within bounds limit or hold back from movement.
hold on	Keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view.
hold open	Have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense.
hold sacred	Keep from departing.
honour	Accept as pay. Make sure the franchisees honour the terms of the contract.
house	Fix (something) in a socket or mortise. The museum houses a collection of Roman sculpture.
keep a place for	Fail to spoil or rot.
keep alive	Store or keep customarily.
keep back	Behave as expected during of holidays or rites.
keep on	Supply with necessities and support.
keep open	Raise.
keep up	Stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state.
keep waiting	Allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature.
look after	Take charge of or deal with.
maintain	Maintain for use and service. An English garrison was maintained there in the seventeenth century.
manage	Be the manager of a sports team or a performer. The skills needed to manage a young dynamic team.
mind	Keep in mind. I don t mind the rain.
not cease to be	Have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical.
not stop doing something	Hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of.
obey	Behave in accordance with (a general principle, natural law, etc. When the order was repeated he refused to obey.
observe	Observe with care or pay close attention to. The behaviour observed in groups of chimpanzees.
operate	Handle and cause to function. Market forces were allowed to operate freely.
organize	Plan and direct (a complex undertaking. Organize lessons in a planned way.
own	Have something as one s own possess. She owned to a feeling of profound jealousy.
pay attention to	Discharge or settle.
persevere	Continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no indication of success. His family persevered with his treatment.
persist in	Stay behind.
persist in being	Continue to exist.
pile	Place or lay as if in a pile. His in tray was piled high with papers.
place	Place somebody in a particular situation or location. He was placed on probation.
preserve	Keep undisturbed for personal or private use for hunting, shooting, or fishing. All records of the past were zealously preserved.
prevent	Stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state. Action must be taken to prevent further accidents.
proceed	Move forward. His claim that all power proceeded from God.
provide board for	Determine (what is to happen in certain contingencies), especially by including a proviso condition or stipulation.
provide food for	Make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain.
provide for	Supply means of subsistence; earn a living.
provide sustenance for	Determine (what is to happen in certain contingencies), especially by including a proviso condition or stipulation.
put	Put into a certain place or abstract location. To put it bluntly he was not really divorced.
put away	Cause to be in a certain state; cause to be in a certain relation.
raise	Multiply a number by itself a specified number of times 8 is 2 raised to the power 3. She raised both arms above her head.
rear	Stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds. The horse reared in terror.
recognize	Grant diplomatic recognition to (a country or government. He was recognized as an international authority.
remain	Stay the same remain in a certain state. There remains the question of who pulled the trigger.
respect	Show respect towards. It is incumbent upon all hill users to respect the environment.
restrain	Hold back. He had to be restrained from walking out.
retain	Continue to have (something); keep possession of. This soil retains water.
run	Run with the ball in such sports as football. Buses run into town every half hour.
save	Save from sins. Save your strength till later.
stack	Load or cover with stacks. Texas s capital punishment law stacks the deck in favour of death over prison.
stay	Stay behind. After graduation she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser.
stay fresh	Remain behind.
stick to	Stick to firmly.
store	Find a place for and put away for storage. Store grain for the winter.
stow	Pack or store (an object) carefully and neatly in a particular place. Stow the cart.
subsidize	Support through subsidies. The government subsidizes basic goods including sugar petroleum and wheat.
superintend	Be responsible for the management or arrangement of (an activity or organization); oversee. He superintended a land reclamation scheme.
support	Give moral or psychological support aid or courage to. The evidence supports the defendant.
sustain	Provide with nourishment. We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible.
take care of	Be a student of a certain subject.
take notice of	Obtain by winning.
tend	Have a tendency or disposition to do or be something be inclined. She tends to be nervous before her lectures.
watch over	Observe or determine by looking.

Usage Examples of "Keep" as a verb

• Keep your cool.
• She had trouble keeping her balance.
• I have kept her waiting too long.
• Can I keep my old stuffed animals?
• She might be kept alive artificially by machinery.
• I always keep batteries in the freezer.
• If you kept small rules, you could break the big ones.
• He keeps going on about the murder.
• The master kept a weekly journal.
• He keeps the shop when I am gone.
• Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on.
• Keep a note of each item.
• She keeps a few chickens in the yard.
• I won't keep you, I know you've got a busy evening.
• Rice will keep almost indefinitely without spoiling.
• Can you keep your saddle, or shall I carry you on a pillion?
• The big fellow keeps a fish shop near the post office.
• Keep boarders.
• There's little to earn and many to keep.
• They raised pigs and kept a pony or two.
• Keep open the possibility of a merger.
• He had not been keeping well.
• He had to keep his large family in the manner he had chosen.
• I keep a car in the countryside.
• The students keep me on my toes.
• His personal work was kept securely in an upstairs studio.
• He is keeping three women in the guest cottage.
• I kept quiet while Emily talked on.
• Keep notes.
• He was keeping a woman on the side.
• Keep potatoes fresh.
• Keep my job for me while I give birth.
• Keep my seat, please.
• She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips.
• The soldiers removed, keeping their course towards Jericho.
• Keep appointments.
• My father would keep the best for himself.
• I cannot keep track of all my employees.
• She keeps a sixpack and a week's worth of supplies in the refrigerator.
• He kept his eyes on the road.
• Return one copy to me, keeping the other for your files.
• Keep count.
• The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff.
• The boy keeps the sheep.
• He keeps bees.
• Keep a diary.
• Today's consumers do not keep the Sabbath.
• These potatoes keep for a long time.
• Where do you keep your gardening tools?
• ‘God keep you,’ he muttered.
• I'll keep my promise, naturally.
• She never keeps her promises.
• May God keep you.
• Keep food for a week in the pantry.
• The guidance system keeps the machine on course.
• Keep left along the wall.
• Keep your hands off me.

Associations of "Keep" (30 Words)

aegis	(in classical art and mythology) an attribute of Zeus and Athene (or their Roman counterparts Jupiter and Minerva) usually represented as a goatskin shield. The negotiations were conducted under the aegis of the UN.
archive	Place or store something in an archive. They were allowed to study in the archives.
bear	Bring forth. A small boat bearing a white flag.
conserve	Protect (something, especially something of environmental or cultural importance) from harm or destruction. Highly conserved regions of the protein.
continuance	A postponement or an adjournment. The trademarks shall be used only during the continuance of this agreement.
continuity	A detailed script used in making a film in order to avoid discontinuities from shot to shot. They have provided the country with a measure of continuity.
continuous	Of a function or curve; extending without break or irregularity. A continuous bout of illness lasting six months.
economize	Spend less; reduce one’s expenses. I have to economize where I can.
hold	Hold the attention of. Hold a reception.
incessant	(of something regarded as unpleasant) continuing without pause or interruption. Night and day we live with the incessant noise of the city.
let	A period during which a room or property is rented. My boss let me leave early.
maintain	Maintain for use and service. The need to maintain close links between industry and schools.
maintenance	Means of maintenance of a family or group. Essential maintenance work.
nonstop	Occurring without stops. How many nonstops are there to Dallas.
perpetual	Continuing forever or indefinitely. Their perpetual money worries.
preservation	The activity of protecting something from loss or danger. The chapel is in a poor state of preservation.
preserve	Fruit preserved by cooking with sugar. The film has preserved all the qualities of the novel.
retain	Hold back within. The dam retains the water.
retention	The continued possession, use, or control of something. The soil s retention of moisture.
safely	Without being injured or harmed. The tender plants are safely tucked up for the winter.
savior	A person who rescues you from harm or danger.
storehouse	A large supply of something. Storehouses were built close to the docks.
subsistence	The state of existing in reality; having substance. Rights of occupation normally only continue during the subsistence of the marriage.
sustain	An effect or facility on a keyboard or electronic instrument whereby a note can be sustained after the key is released. His health will no longer enable him to sustain the heavy burdens of office.
sustainable	Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level. Sustainable definitions of good educational practice.
unceasing	Uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing. The unceasing efforts of the staff.
unchanging	Not changing; remaining the same. The party stood for unchanging principles.
uninterrupted	Continuing in time or space without interruption- James Jeans. The window gives an uninterrupted view of the mountains.
uphold	Keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last. They uphold a tradition of not causing distress to living creatures.
upkeep	The act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence. We will be responsible for the upkeep of the access road.