keep time

idiom

of a watch or clock : to show the correct time

My watch keeps good/perfect time.

music : to perform music at the correct speed

Among other things, the conductor helps the orchestra keep time (to the music).

Examples of keep time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the robot didn't have ears to hear a timer ding, and its own processor could keep time anyway. —

David Berreby, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2024 Unfortunately, these early clocks were lousy timekeepers, their ability to keep time deteriorating along with the battery. —

IEEE Spectrum, 29 Feb. 2024 If the offense wants to keep time rolling, its best play will be run the football while staying inbounds. 11d ago / 6:59 PM PST Jason Abbruzzese This is particularly important right now. —

Jason Abbruzzese, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024 Circadian clocks keep time everywhere from your liver and lungs to your nose and toes. —

TIME, 9 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for keep time

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'keep time.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.