: a game in which two or more players try to keep an object (such as a ball) from one or more other players

Examples of keep-away in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19 New York played keep-away from Buffalo's explosive K-Gun offense, holding the ball for nearly 41 minutes, and got nice efforts from MVP Ottis Anderson (102 yards, TD) and backup QB Jeff Hostetler. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The Niners must keep Mahomes from winning it, which means playing keep-away, and the Chiefs have a better rush defense. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2024 One way to neutralize the pair is to play keep-away with the ball. Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2023 Michigan has banked five 10-win seasons since Harbaugh arrived in 2015, and all five teams played keep-away at an elite level. Jimmy Watkins, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023 But with the Netherlands dominating possession and playing keep-away in the midfield, the Americans’ 18-game unbeaten streak was in danger. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2023 Lil Hancock won the decisive draw, and Westwood played keep-away to run out the clock and cement a thrilling, 10-9, Division 1 semifinal victory at Walpole High. Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 13 June 2023 Coyle’s ability to wear down teams by way of his distinct game of keep-away translates at the other end of the frozen sheet. Conor Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Apr. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of keep-away was in 1960

Dictionary Entries Near keep-away

Cite this Entry

“Keep-away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep-away. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

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