keeping
Americannoun
-
agreement or conformity in things or elements associated together.
His actions are not in keeping with his words.
- Synonyms:
- harmony, congruity, consistency
-
the act of a person or thing that keeps; observance, custody, or care.
- Synonyms:
- guardianship, charge, protection
-
maintenance or keep.
-
holding, reserving, or retaining.
noun
-
conformity or harmony (esp in the phrases in or out of keeping )
-
charge or care
valuables in the keeping of a bank
Synonym Usage
See custody.
Etymology
Origin of keeping
First recorded in 1250–1300, keeping is from the Middle English word keping. See keep, -ing 1
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 clearly had been keeping this latest charge in their back pocket, waiting to use it before his prior NSL sentence ran out,” Kellogg said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
“I tried this idea of experimenting for the sake of getting better, but also keeping it alive.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
The work was never simply about keeping up with the news.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
Options include keeping services as they are, or closing consultant-led maternity units at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, or both.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
We stole past, keeping well out of the way of the film crew, then went by even more sets before we came out the other end of the warehouse.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
