keep off
phrasal verb
kept off; keeping off; keeps off
1
: to stop or prevent (someone or something) from being on (something)
Keep off the grass.
Please keep the dog off the sofa.
2
keep (weight) off
: to continue to weigh a lower amount than one formerly weighed : to not regain weight that one has lost
Losing weight is not as hard as keeping it off.
3
: to not talk about (something)
I think we'd better keep off the subject of the war.
4
: to prevent (someone) from talking about (something)
We tried to keep them off (the subject of) the war.
Examples of keep off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Turn off the car and headlights, set the parking brake and keep off the brake pedal.
4.
—
Mark Debruyckere, The Arizona Republic, 6 June 2024
But Ego Nwodim’s Williams just had too much juice to keep off TV.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 23 May 2024
The third-year back injured his foot during offseason workouts, head coach Sean McVay said, so he will be kept off the field for the entirety of OTAs and the June minicamp.
—Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 21 May 2024
Officials urged residents to keep off roads, as many were impassable and traffic lights were expected to be out for much of the night.
—TIME, 17 May 2024
It is estimated that only one in five people who lose between 5 and 10 percent of their initial weight through diet and exercise in six months manage to keep off the weight for more than a year.
—Matías A. Loewy, Discover Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
The case in Colorado, brought on behalf of six voters, proceeded the fastest, and the state supreme court is the first to order Trump be kept off the ballot.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2024
After being kept off the scoresheet all night, Reget took a pass from Nacho Flores on a restart and smashed it low into the far corner.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024
Pelicans' bigs Larry Nance Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas are tough to keep off the glass and are solid finishers for their leaping ability and lumberjack-like girth, respectively.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2024
Mark Debruyckere, The Arizona Republic, 6 June 2024
But Ego Nwodim’s Williams just had too much juice to keep off TV.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 23 May 2024
The third-year back injured his foot during offseason workouts, head coach Sean McVay said, so he will be kept off the field for the entirety of OTAs and the June minicamp.
—Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 21 May 2024
Officials urged residents to keep off roads, as many were impassable and traffic lights were expected to be out for much of the night.
—TIME, 17 May 2024
It is estimated that only one in five people who lose between 5 and 10 percent of their initial weight through diet and exercise in six months manage to keep off the weight for more than a year.
—Matías A. Loewy, Discover Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
The case in Colorado, brought on behalf of six voters, proceeded the fastest, and the state supreme court is the first to order Trump be kept off the ballot.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2024
After being kept off the scoresheet all night, Reget took a pass from Nacho Flores on a restart and smashed it low into the far corner.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024
Pelicans' bigs Larry Nance Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas are tough to keep off the glass and are solid finishers for their leaping ability and lumberjack-like girth, respectively.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'keep off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near keep off
Cite this Entry
“Keep off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep%20off. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.
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