1
as in custody
responsibility for the safety and well-being of someone or something
put the house keys into a neighbor's secure keeping while they were on vacation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in hands
the fact or state of having (something) at one's disposal
my aunt has all of our family's old photographs in her keeping
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in adherence
the following of a custom, rule, or law
the keeping of religious laws and traditions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in shape
a state of being or fitness
the estate hasn't been in good keeping since the owner suffered financial reverses
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in celebrating
to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony
keep the Sabbath by not working
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in retaining
to continue to have in one's possession or power
the money is yours to keep keep my secret and don't tell it to anyone
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3
as in fulfilling
to do what is required by the terms of
make sure you keep your promise to help out at the homeless shelter
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4
as in storing
to place somewhere for safekeeping or ready availability
I keep extra toothbrushes for unexpected overnight guests
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5
as in supporting
to pay the living expenses of
agreed to keep both of their children in off-campus housing until they graduated and found jobs
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6
as in managing
to look after and make decisions about
enlisted a relative to keep the store while she was away
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7
as in controlling
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
try to keep your composure no matter what happens
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in protecting
to drive danger or attack away from
may God bless and keep you
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of keeping
Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2025
The report admonishes the Alameda County foster care system for ongoing structural deficiencies, including understaffing and poor record-keeping, while also noting that the agency’s plan to address service gaps may still not be enough to bring it up to standard.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2025
Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
For the first half of her tenure, Engelbert seemed to enjoy a positive relationship with the players, securing major corporate partners, working with the union on a collective-bargaining agreement that looked historic at the time, keeping the league afloat during the COVID pandemic.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for keeping
Noun
Sustained allegations include medication mismanagement due to lack of training, poor supervision of residents due to short-staffing and improper record-keeping, also due to inadequate training.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2025
The report admonishes the Alameda County foster care system for ongoing structural deficiencies, including understaffing and poor record-keeping, while also noting that the agency’s plan to address service gaps may still not be enough to bring it up to standard.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
After the Gators moved the ball without much resistance a week ago, the Longhorns shut down the Sooners, keeping them out of the end zone for the third time in four years.
—Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
For the first half of her tenure, Engelbert seemed to enjoy a positive relationship with the players, securing major corporate partners, working with the union on a collective-bargaining agreement that looked historic at the time, keeping the league afloat during the COVID pandemic.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for keeping
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keeping
Noun
-
Officials said the student's motives are still unclear and that the person remains in custody.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Newsom, who has often positioned himself as a moderating voice on child custody and protection issues, acknowledged the controversy in his signing statement.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That doesn’t mean Cleveland will place the basketball in Hunter’s hands and tell him to go.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Separate the plant by gently pulling the roots apart with your hands, cutting them apart with a clean sharp knife, or placing two garden forks back to back in the clump’s center to pull it apart.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The emotions that drive decisions at the top of the free-agent market — sentimentality, desperation, urgency — are dulled by the organization’s adherence to process.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
It’s aimed at weakening our collective, across-the-board sense of boundaries, the mutual adherence to limits that sports are supposed to teach.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
About 150 volcanoes in the Atacama Andes—including Láscar, Chile’s most active—create this shape-shifting environment that’s as active as the travelers cresting it.—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Such unsupervised conversational shape-shifting would make this rogue Humbert particularly charismatic.—
Vauhini Vara,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The picture-perfect couple were celebrating Halle’s 59th birthday in Bora Bora.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Many of the people were students celebrating the passing of an exam, Enquirer media partner Fox19 reported.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Whether the move is about Netflix’s push into ads, gaining a better foothold locally or retaining subscribers — or all three — is yet to be discovered.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said retaining control of the Philadelphi Corridor will make rearmament harder — though not impossible — as humanitarian aid flows into Gaza.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Yeah, but again, so fulfilling creatively.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
9 Oct. 2025
-
And while the actress has her hands full with almost too many projects to count, from running her Rare Beauty empire to starring in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Gomez has said that returning to her roots has been extremely fulfilling for her.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Legislation [was introduced] called the Film Preservation Act, Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation was formed, Iron Mountain started storing film for the first time, the Association of Moving Image Archivists was formed.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The waterfront would be transformed into a large marina, with piers and floating docks off the shore by the old Flipper Dolphin lagoon theater and wrapping around most of the waterfront, along with racks for storing smaller boats on land and heavy machinery depositing them in the water as needed.—
Pedro Portal,
Miami Herald,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Keeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keeping. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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