keepsake
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of keepsake
Explanation
A keepsake is an object that has sentimental value, like a locket that belonged to your grandmother. In one of the Batman movies, Bruce Wayne keeps the pearls his mother wore the day she was murdered. Those pearls are a keepsake: something that has great meaning because of its association with a person. Many parents keep pictures their kids drew as keepsakes. If you loved a job, you might have a keepsake from it. Souvenirs from fun vacations are keepsakes. A keepsake is something we keep for the sake of the people and events we want to always remember.
Vocabulary lists containing keepsake
Crenshaw
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Free Lunch
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Charlotte's Web
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Hurt and in desperate need of her friend, Andie goes to see Iona to ask for her ruffly pink prom dress, a keepsake she promised Andie if ever she wanted it.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026
When the next mission to the International Space Station blasts off from Florida next week, a special keepsake will be hitching a ride: a small stuffed rabbit.
From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026
She had treasured the pan through the years as “a keepsake of our love.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
"These stamps are more than postage - they are a celebration of Irish culture, a keepsake for fans, and a lasting tribute to 25 years of Westlife," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025
Behind it were small offices for an inmate photographer, who snapped keepsake Polaroid pictures, and a counselor who could help with matters such as weddings.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Celeb spotting, stolen keepsakes and an "incredible hangover" – this is what BBC Radio 1's Greg James has revealed about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Every doll, every toy, every report card, every artwork she proudly brought home from school and Sunday school, her bike, hundreds of photos, and boxes upon boxes of keepsakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Don eventually remarried and had three more kids, but he held on to a big box of Cynthia’s clothes and other keepsakes, including a lock of hair and bottle of her perfume.
From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026
In his will, written shortly before his death in 1821, Napoleon left several imperial keepsakes -- including two of his last hats -- to his son, the King of Rome.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
Instead of collecting any keepsakes, Viesturs sat down next to Fischer during the descent and spent a few minutes alone with him.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
