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

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

The report said that water storage in Washington’s five reservoirs in the Yakima River Basin has dropped sharply, bringing levels, at times, to some of the lowest measured since record-keeping started in 1971. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025

Butter pats in a reach-in cooler overnight measured 48 to 50 degrees, way too warm for safe-keeping. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025

Happel and Ore are unable to find city records for the property, given that it was last officially used nearly a half-century ago, before computers were widely adopted for record-keeping. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 12 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