keep
verb (used with object)
to hold or retain in one's possession; hold as one's own.
was keeping
-
past progressiveof keep.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Officers said one of the major challenges for those running the illicit factories was keeping their noisy activities hidden from neighbours.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Boatsetter made the booking easy, and because the sailboat was captained by its owner, all I really had to worry about was keeping dinner from burning.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Last March, in the early days of the trade dispute, he urged people to stop texting him in the middle of the night because the buzzing was keeping him up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
While saying there was no major impact yet on its blast furnaces, finance chief Axel Hamann said the company was keeping a close eye on the situation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
All in all, being God’s sole and abandoned emissary to Kilanga was keeping Our Father very busy.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
