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

Several safety features — including driver distraction alert and lane keeping — can’t be permanently disabled. —Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Today, many of those sales happen with little or no record-keeping. —Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 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, 3 Oct. 2025

That’s far from 41 degrees or below for safe keeping of cheese, and a Stop Sale was issued. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 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