keep/hold in check

idiom

: to keep (something) under control

He's trying to hold his emotions in check.

The government has raised interest rates in an attempt to keep inflation in check.

Examples of keep/hold in check in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, some 114 years later, Californians have reached their limit with the cozy cronyism between the commission and the private utilities it is required to keep in check. —Loretta Lynch, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2025

But Daniels and the Commanders’ offense (and perhaps the ghosts that have haunted the Lions franchise for decades) were simply too tough to keep in check Saturday night. —Kevin Dotson, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025

After the game, the coach chose to keep in check the emotions that had to be bubbling up inside of him. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 13 May 2024

This is done to control premium costs for everyone by using the lower costs incurred by healthy participants to keep in check the higher costs incurred by unhealthy participants. —Stephanie Armour | Kff Health News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2024

Expectations are really important to keep in check. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2024

Arab states can use this leverage to encourage both Iran and Israel to desist from risky provocations and keep in check their shadow war. —Maria Fantappie, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2022

But what the former French colonies have in common are political systems heavily influenced by France’s with extremely strong presidential powers, which their institutions struggle to keep in check, said Gilles Olakounlé Yabi, the founder and chief executive of the West Africa Citizen Think Tank. —Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Other lesser factors that are still important to keep in check are the length of credit history, mix of credit types and recent applications. —Nerdwallet, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2024