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
Oxfam said it understood workers' frustrations, but that its reserves had fallen, and it needed to keep back funds to weather financial shocks.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2023
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
As they investigated the incident, police say they tried to keep back bystanders who “started to gather to watch, make video recordings and yell at police.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2020
And when Christopher moved to stoke the fire, he took a sharp breath—but he did not warn his son to keep back from the flames.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
