kept

American  

[kept] / kɛpt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of keep.

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adjective

1. having the expression of principles, ideas, etc., controlled, dominated, or determined by one whose money provides support.

   a kept press;

   a kept writer.

kept British  

/ kɛpt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of keep

2. pejorative a woman maintained by a man as his mistress

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Other Word Forms

• unkept adjective
• well-kept adjective

Etymology

Origin of kept

First recorded in 1670–80 kept for def. 2

Example Sentences

She said the cameras kept rolling behind-the-scenes, combining her day-to-day work as a surgeon with her home life as a single mother to a teenager.

From BBC

"We're grateful that at least we have a place like this now, but still, a lot of the promises weren't kept," said the 37-year-old whose house was partially swept away.

From Barron's

The powerful striker held off his marker and beat goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who handled the shot poorly and might have kept it out.

From Barron's

It kept the right-hander away from Pakistan's five spinners on a turning pitch at the start of his innings and allowed him to take advantage of the powerplay fielding restrictions.

From BBC

I kept buying weekly calls, hoping to profit once shares swung back above $25.

From MarketWatch