kept

American

[kept] / kɛpt /

verb

simple past tense and past participle of keep.

adjective

having the expression of principles, ideas, etc., controlled, dominated, or determined by one whose money provides support.

a kept press;
a kept writer.

kept British

/ kɛpt /

verb

the past tense and past participle of keep
pejorative a woman maintained by a man as his mistress

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of kept

First recorded in 1670–80 kept for def. 2

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:

kept

Some parents kept children home; other children insisted that their parents stay home instead.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Saudi nationals couldn’t be kept clear of a large nuclear fuel-making plant in Saudi territory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

"We kept the faith. We're All-Ireland champions," said an overjoyed Mayo captain Jack Coyne.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Jeff Kent explained why he has kept the 1985 Toyota 4x4 truck that he received from his parents, Alan and Sherry, when he was a teen in Huntington Beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

In between we were kept standing at rigid attention on the soggy parade ground where we had spent the night.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023