keep/hold in check
idiom
: to keep (something) under control
He's trying to hold his emotions in check.
The government has raised interest rates in an attempt to keep inflation in check.
Examples of keep/hold in check in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Expectations are really important to keep in check.
—
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2024
Arab states can use this leverage to encourage both Iran and Israel to desist from risky provocations and keep in check their shadow war.
—Maria Fantappie, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2022
But what the former French colonies have in common are political systems heavily influenced by France’s with extremely strong presidential powers, which their institutions struggle to keep in check, said Gilles Olakounlé Yabi, the founder and chief executive of the West Africa Citizen Think Tank.
—Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Other lesser factors that are still important to keep in check are the length of credit history, mix of credit types and recent applications.
—Nerdwallet, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2024
But the city is seeing rising violence that its police department in its current state is struggling to hold in check.
—Tyler Olson, Fox News, 10 Dec. 2020
But maybe the monkey had a chronic psychological condition, one that reason alone couldn’t hold in check.
—Haruki Murakami, The New Yorker, 1 June 2020
The group has long pushed for radical transparency around the LAPD, arguing that outside oversight bodies have routinely failed over the years to expose and keep in check police misconduct.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023
The 2,700 firefighters on hand saw short-range spotting in the southwest and west corners of the fire, but the fire’s short advance remained in areas that firefighters could keep in check.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2024
Arab states can use this leverage to encourage both Iran and Israel to desist from risky provocations and keep in check their shadow war.
—Maria Fantappie, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2022
But what the former French colonies have in common are political systems heavily influenced by France’s with extremely strong presidential powers, which their institutions struggle to keep in check, said Gilles Olakounlé Yabi, the founder and chief executive of the West Africa Citizen Think Tank.
—Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Other lesser factors that are still important to keep in check are the length of credit history, mix of credit types and recent applications.
—Nerdwallet, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2024
But the city is seeing rising violence that its police department in its current state is struggling to hold in check.
—Tyler Olson, Fox News, 10 Dec. 2020
But maybe the monkey had a chronic psychological condition, one that reason alone couldn’t hold in check.
—Haruki Murakami, The New Yorker, 1 June 2020
The group has long pushed for radical transparency around the LAPD, arguing that outside oversight bodies have routinely failed over the years to expose and keep in check police misconduct.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023
The 2,700 firefighters on hand saw short-range spotting in the southwest and west corners of the fire, but the fire’s short advance remained in areas that firefighters could keep in check.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'keep/hold in check.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Keep/hold in check.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep%2Fhold%20in%20check. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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