keep / kēp/ • v. (past kept / kept/ ) [tr.] 1. have or retain possession of: my father would keep the best for himself. ∎  retain or reserve for use in the future: return one copy to me, keeping the other for your files. ∎  put or store in a regular place: the stand where her umbrella was kept. ∎  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? ∎  delay or detain; cause to be late: I won't keep you; I know you've got a busy evening. 2. continue or cause to continue in a specified condition, position, course, etc.: [intr.] she could have had some boyfriend she kept quiet about [tr.] she might be kept alive artificially by machinery. ∎  [intr.] continue doing or do repeatedly or habitually: he keeps going on about the murder. ∎  [intr.] (of a perishable commodity) remain in good condition: fresh ginger does not keep well. ∎  [tr.] make (someone) do something for a period of time: I have kept her waiting too long. 3. provide for the sustenance of (someone): he had to keep his large family in the manner he had chosen. ∎  provide (someone) with a regular supply of a commodity: the money should keep him in cigarettes for a week. ∎  own and look after (an animal) for pleasure or profit. ∎  own and manage (a shop or business). ∎  guard; protect: his only thought is to keep the boy from harm. ∎  support (someone, esp. a woman) financially in return for sexual favors: [as adj.] 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). 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.• n. 1. food, clothes, and other essentials for living: working overtime to earn his keep. ∎  the cost of such items. 2. the strongest or central tower of a castle, acting as a final refuge.PHRASAL VERBS: keep to avoid leaving (a path, road, or place). ∎  adhere to (a schedule). ∎  observe (a promise). ∎  confine or restrict oneself to: nothing is more irritating than people who do not keep to the point.keep up move or progress at the same rate as someone or something else: often they had to pause to allow him to keep up. ∎  meet a commitment to pay or do something regularly: if you do not keep up with the payments, the loan company can make you sell your home.keep something up maintain or preserve something in the existing state; continue a course of action: keep up the good work. ∎  keep something in an efficient or proper state: the new owners could not afford to keep up the grounds. ∎  make something remain at a high level: he was whistling to keep up his spirits.