keeping

noun

keep·​ing ˈkē-piŋ How to pronounce keeping (audio)
1
: conformity
in keeping with good taste
out of keeping with the decor
2
: the act of one that keeps: such as
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

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 Modern record keeping began in 1877, and the record for the rainiest February was in 1998, when an incredible 13.68 inches of rain fell on downtown L.A., part of a memorable El Niño winter. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 How Record Are Managed Any crypto investor who has experience in the crypto sector should be well aware of how critically important good record keeping and transactional record keeping are. Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 As with other contemporary Hondas, a full suite of driver assistance features including lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and blindspot monitoring with cross traffic alert is standard on the Prologue. Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 These plants mobilize as many of their nutrient resources as possible and send them to the roots in the fall for good keeping through winter and to fuel regrowth the following spring. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 19 Jan. 2024 Reports of widespread slipping over the past couple of days follow a week that began with 3 to 5 inches of snow on the ground and ended with 80-degree weather, the highest temperature observed in January in D.C. since record keeping began in 1872. Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 Record keeping: Repair costs could be burdensome, and insurance companies may ask for receipts. Cameron Fozi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2023 However, this happenstance might also be explained by poor pre-war record keeping. David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Sep. 2023 The children stowed their notes away for safe keeping, touched by the personal attention from Santa. Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'keeping.' 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

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of keeping was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near keeping

Cite this Entry

“Keeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keeping. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

keeping

noun
keep·​ing
ˈkē-piŋ
1
: watchful attention : care
2
: a proper or fitting relationship : harmony
in keeping with good taste

More from Merriam-Webster on keeping

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!