Showing results for "kept"

• past tense form of keep.
• past participle of keep.

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

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Etymology

Origin of kept

First recorded in 1670–80 kept for def. 2

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kept

It was started by a San Fernando Valley man who received a $2,115 electric bill for his 2,500-square-foot home that he said he kept at 74 degrees between the months of August and September.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Claire made Jack a promise while he lay in her arms in hospital - and this week she feels like, more than a decade on, she kept that promise.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

“You Can See Everything,” released by A24, was kept a secret until it was announced as a world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Those interviewed all said the mother and son kept to themselves and that he rarely went out.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Most of these people never saw one another; we kept face.to-face contacts as few as possible.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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