keep down

verb

1. to repress; hold in submission

2. to restrain or control

   he had difficulty keeping his anger down

3. to cause not to increase or rise

   prices were kept down for six months

4. (intr) not to show oneself to one's opponents; lie low

5. to cause (food) to stay in the stomach; not vomit

Idioms and Phrases

Hold under control, repress; also, retain food. For example, Keep you voice down , or They vowed to keep down the insurgency , or With morning sickness, she had a hard time keeping down her breakfast . [Late 1500s]

Prevent from increasing or succeeding, as in The government was determined to keep prices down , or Joyce felt that her lack of an advanced degree kept her down in terms of promotions . [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

“Keeping down prices usually means keeping down labor costs. That is where immigrant labor comes in.”

From Los Angeles Times

The work there has included arranging bales of straw on the sand, which has enabled native shrubs to take root and begin to keep down the blowing dust.

From Los Angeles Times

One issue the neighbourhood teams are homing in on is loneliness - they have identified this as a way to keep down hospital numbers.

From BBC

For two weeks, Betts could hardly eat solid foods, failing to keep down the little he did consume.

From Los Angeles Times

One issue the neighbourhood teams are honing in on is loneliness - they have identified this as a way to keep down hospital numbers.

From BBC

Related Words

• confine 
• constrain 
• control 
• curb 
• curtail 
• detain 
• deter 
• govern 
• hamper 
• hinder 
• inhibit 
• kill 
• limit 
• prevent 
• repress 
• restrict 
• subdue 
• suppress