Definition of Keep

Noun

• a cell in a jail or prison
  hold
• the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress
  donjon dungeon
• 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"
  support livelihood living - bread and butter sustenance

Verb

• prevent (food) from rotting
  "preserved meats"
  "keep potatoes fresh"
  preserve
• 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"
  maintain
• 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"
  
• store or keep customarily
  "Where do you keep your gardening tools?"
  
• retain rights to
  "keep my job for me while I give birth"
  "keep my seat, please"
  "keep open the possibility of a merger"
  - keep open - hold open save
• raise
  "She keeps a few chickens in the yard"
  "he keeps bees"
  
• maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger
  "May God keep you"
  preserve
• keep under control
  keep in check
  "suppress a smile"
  "Keep your temper"
  "keep your cool"
  restrain - keep back - hold back
• behave as expected during of holidays or rites
  "Keep the commandments"
  "celebrate Christmas"
  "Observe Yom Kippur"
  observe celebrate
• fail to spoil or rot
  "These potatoes keep for a long time"
  - stay fresh
• 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"
  sustain maintain
• allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature
  "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"
  "She retained her composure"
  "this garment retains its shape even after many washings"
  retain continue - keep on
• supply with room and board
  "He is keeping three women in the guest cottage"
  "keep boarders"
  
• maintain by writing regular records
  "keep a diary"
  "maintain a record"
  "keep notes"
  maintain
• look after
  be the keeper of
  have charge of
  "He keeps the shop when I am gone"
  
• stick to correctly or closely
  "The pianist kept time with the metronome"
  "keep count"
  "I cannot keep track of all my employees"
  observe maintain
• conform one's action or practice to
  "keep appointments"
  "she never keeps her promises"
  "We kept to the original conditions of the contract"
  observe
• stop (someone or something) 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
• retain possession of
  "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"
  "She kept her maiden name after she married"
  - hold on
• 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"
  continue - go on proceed - go along
• 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"
  maintain hold

• Scrabble® score of the keep (10)
• Word Chums® score of the keep (12)
• Words With Friends® score of the keep (11)