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
They'll give counts via a microphone linked to his hearing aids, allowing him to keep time with the rest of the team.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
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
It doesn’t rhyme, and the kid trying to beatbox in the background can’t keep time to save his life.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
