keep time
Idioms-
Maintain the correct tempo and rhythm of music; also, mark the rhythm by foot-tapping, hand movements, or the like. For example, The children love to keep time by clapping their hands . This usage dates from the late 1500s and is occasionally put figuratively, as Ben Jonson did in Cynthia's Revels (1699): “Slow, slow, fresh fount, keep time with my salt tears.”
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Also, keep good time . Indicate the correct time, as in This inexpensive watch does not keep good time . [Late 1800s]
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.
They identified 57 genomic regions associated with it, sharing genetic architecture with autism, depression and the ability to keep time in a musical rhythm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
There are egg timers and even four-minute songs that can keep time for you.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
These names date back to earlier periods — when Native American, medieval European and other cultures turned to cycles in nature to keep time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2023
The combs can measure the natural oscillation of atoms so precisely that they have become an indispensable component of atomic clocks, which keep time incredibly well by counting these oscillations.
From Scientific American ● May 12, 2023
“It’s how my father taught me. If I don’t wind it consistently, it won’t keep time as well. And if I overwind it, the mainspring might break.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
