keep tabs on

idiom

informal
: to carefully watch (someone or something) in order to learn what that person or thing is doing
We are keeping tabs on their movements.
The magazine keeps tabs on the latest fashion trends.

Examples of keep tabs on in a Sentence

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The district also uses GoGuardian monitoring software to keep tabs on how students use devices. Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 5 Dec. 2025 These appointments — not part of the immigration court system but sometimes just a floor or two away — are a routine way US authorities keep tabs on people who’ve been accused of violating immigration laws. Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025 Selling vintage also helps houses keep tabs on historical pieces missing from their archives. Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 8 Nov. 2025 For this study, researchers set up thermal and infrared cameras to keep tabs on two bat hibernation sites in the towns of Segeberg and Lüneburg-Kalkberg, Germany. Sarah Durn, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for keep tabs on

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Cite this Entry

“Keep tabs on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep%20tabs%20on. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.

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