keeper

American  

[kee-per] / ˈki pər /

noun

1. a person who guards or watches, as at a prison or gate.

   Synonyms:

   jailer, warden

2. a person who assumes responsibility for another's behavior.

   He refused to be his brother's keeper.

   Synonyms:

   guardian, custodian

3. a person who owns or operates a business (usually used in combination).

   a hotelkeeper.

4. a person who is responsible for the maintenance of something (often used in combination).

   a zookeeper; a groundskeeper.

5. a person charged with responsibility for the preservation and conservation of something valuable, as a curator or game warden.

6. a person who conforms to or abides by a requirement.

   a keeper of his word.

7. a fish that is of sufficient size to be caught and retained without violating the law.

8. Football. a play in which the quarterback retains the ball and runs with it, usually after faking a hand-off or pass.

9. something that serves to hold in place, retain, etc., as on a door lock.

10. something that lasts well, as a fruit.

11. guard ring.

12. an iron or steel bar placed across the poles of a permanent horseshoe magnet for preserving the strength of the magnet during storage.

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keeper British  

/ ˈkiːpə /

noun

1. a person in charge of animals, esp in a zoo

2. a person in charge of a museum, collection, or section of a museum

3. a person in charge of other people, such as a warder in a jail

4. See goalkeeper wicketkeeper gamekeeper

5. a person who keeps something

6. a device, such as a clip, for keeping something in place

7. a soft iron or steel bar placed across the poles of a permanent magnet to close the magnetic circuit when it is not in use

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Other Word Forms

• keeperless adjective
• keepership noun
• underkeeper noun

Etymology

Origin of keeper

First recorded in 1250–1300, keeper is from the Middle English word keper. See keep, -er ¹

Example Sentences

What he may sacrifice in culinary experimentation, he more than makes up for as a tavern keeper by tapping into a sense of community he couldn’t find in the sleek kitchens of New York.

From The Wall Street Journal

Manchester's Albert Hall echoes to the sound of a football chant - and although the recipient isn't part of England's starting 11, she's definitely a keeper.

From BBC

In solitary old age, Ondro has finally accepted his sorrowful calling as the memory keeper of the men who died.

From The Wall Street Journal

Canada is Canada, the keeper and class of the sport, and they were favored to win this final, as they had in 2010 and 2014, the last time these games were contested by NHL glitterati.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the South Korean could not get a shot away, running it wide to the keeper's right.

From Barron's

Related Words

• attendant
• caretaker
• curator
• custodian
• defender