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.
There are egg timers and even four-minute songs that can keep time for you.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
When the time comes, Soleil will don dresses and jewelry gifted by family members and perform more than 100 dances, using a curved staff to keep time with the music.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 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
“I wanna keep time for my customers. There is not enough time — for the weddings, for the parties — because of the Oscars.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2023
“They’re used to keep time, but witches use them to search for things like spirits or people. Map! We need the map.”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
