keep a lid on

idiom

1

: to keep (something secret) from being known

She tried to keep a lid on the news.

2

: to control (something) : to keep (something) from becoming worse

The government has been unable to keep a lid on inflation.

Examples of keep a lid on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For much of the past decade, rising American output helped keep a lid on global oil prices, effectively acting as a cap on OPEC’s pricing power. —Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

The history of the semiconductor industry, which is notorious for its boom-to-bust cycles, is helping to keep a lid on Nvidia’s valuation. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2025

Trump tried to keep a lid on the release of the files after he reportedly was told by Attorney General Pam Bondi that he is mentioned in them. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 July 2025

Fruit flies will still find rotten food thrown in the trash and drink cans that still contain liquid, so keep a lid on the bins for extra protection. —Emma Ashe, Southern Living, 13 July 2025

Rhymes for keep a lid on

• agamemnon
• automaton
• diencephalon
• panopticon
• phenomenon
• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon