keep down

verb

kept down; keeping down; keeps down

transitive verb

1
: to keep in control
keep expenses down
2
: to prevent from growing, advancing, or succeeding

Examples of keep down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And/or medication that was not kept down. Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026 These attempts to keep down the unquiet dead were, besides being desecrations, exercises in a lot of heavy and often forbidden labor done on decaying bodies. Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026 Use your mower bag to collect leaves from your mulching mower, then spread around shrubs and perennials to keep down weeds, retain moisture, and prevent frost-heaving of plants during freeze-thaw cycles in the winter. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2025 Though evil is running rampant, Thundarr refuses to be kept down, battling back with the help of the sorceress Ariel and Ookla the Mok, a Wookie-like creature forced into the series by ABC over Gerber’s objections. Will Harris, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for keep down

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of keep down was in 1548

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Keep down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep%20down. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on keep down

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!