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 of keeping

• 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

The sheriff's office reminded residents that no government agency or business will contact them asking to access bank accounts or take money for safe keeping. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025

Launching November 17, the tool integrates record keeping, flexible payment options, and real-time income tracking in one hub. —Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

Berube hasn’t just implied but said flat out that his team as a whole needs to make keeping pucks out a bigger priority. —Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025

However, chaos reigned after the landslide, record-keeping was shoddy, and the fate of these children may never be known. —NPR, 13 Nov. 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
• keeping the peace
• out of keeping with
• record-keeping
• standing/keeping guard
• 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