keep quiet

phrase

1

: to not say anything or make any noise

He thought about telling the police what he knew, but he decided to keep quiet.

Please keep quiet during the movie.

2

: to not say anything about (something)

She kept her plans quiet.

3

: to prevent (someone or something) from making noise

She gave the dog a bone to keep him quiet.

4

: to prevent (someone) from revealing information about something

They paid money to the witness to keep him quiet.

Examples of keep quiet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Soon, Jessica and Ron find themselves being offered what starts as $10,000 before becoming $100,000 to keep quiet about this whole finger business. — Chase Hutchinson, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026

But spectators still had to be reminded several times to keep quiet, with a message sent out on the parents’ WhatsApp group too. — Laura Williamson, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026

The most obvious choice for each of these mothers was to keep quiet, to avoid drawing attention to her family. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026

The organizers asked her to keep quiet about her victory until instructed otherwise. — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for keep quiet

• disquiet
• unquiet
• diet
• guyot
• piet
• riot