keep to

verb

kept to; keeping to; keeps to

transitive verb

1

a

: to stay in

b

: to limit oneself to

2

: to abide by

Examples of keep to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Once the books were corrected, Ueno’s capital, the cushion banks must keep to absorb losses, fell to less than half the legal minimum. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Container citrus trees grow on dwarf rootstock and can be kept to a reasonable size through pruning. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2026

Summerall was more of an extrovert, while Madden kept to a smaller circle. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026

Humpback whales tend to keep to the open sea, but the massive marine mammals occasionally venture into the fresh waters of the Sacramento River. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for keep to

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou