keep back
Britishverb
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(tr) to refuse to reveal or disclose
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to prevent, be prevented, or refrain from advancing, entering, etc
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.
While the bison do help keep back some of the invasive grasses, Dennhardt explains that they create wallows and cause erosion.
From National Geographic • Jan. 18, 2024
As harsh as it sounds, there are certain places where it will not make sense to spend lots of money trying to keep back the tides.
From Washington Post • Sep. 18, 2022
"Red squirrels now only survive in island ecosystems where there aren't any grey squirrels or where a red squirrel community group are working hard to keep back the grey squirrels", she says.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2022
But he has come to question the islands’ ability to keep back the highest tides in coming decades.
From New York Times • Aug. 12, 2021
By this time I had my hand over my mouth to keep back the laughter.
From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
