keeping

noun

keep·​ing ˈkē-piŋ 

1

: conformity

in keeping with good taste

out of keeping with the decor

2

: the act of one that keeps: such as

a

: custody, maintenance

b

: observance

c

: a reserving or preserving for future use

3

a

: the means by which something is kept : support, provision

b

: the state of being kept or the condition in which something is kept

the house is in good keeping

Synonyms

• custody
• care

Examples of keeping in a Sentence

put the house keys into a neighbor's secure keeping while they were on vacation

my aunt has all of our family's old photographs in her keeping

Recent Examples on the Web

Bustos has done more for the hobby of ant-keeping in the last 15 years than anyone else. —Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 19 Sep. 2025

Station keeping The Expedition 73 crewmates also took part in activities to maintain the space station's systems and prepare for future research. —Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Still, recruiting — and keeping — police remains a key focus and critical challenge for Johnson and Snelling’s Police Department. —Jake Sheridan, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025

Honda's driver support technologies are included, such as adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance tech, sign recognition, lane-keeping assist, auto high beam and traffic jam assist. —New Atlas, 15 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing keeping

• how are you keeping
• in keeping with
• in someone's keeping
• keeping a watching brief
• keeping company with the likes of
• keeping room
• out of keeping with
• record-keeping
• what is keeping someone

Rhymes for keeping

• beeping
• creeping
• heaping
• leaping
• peeping
• reaping
• seeping
• sleeping
• steeping
• sweeping
• weeping
• beekeeping

Kids Definition

keeping

noun

keep·​ing

ˈkē-piŋ

1

: watchful attention : care

2

: a proper or fitting relationship : harmony

in keeping with good taste