keep off

phrasal verb

kept off; keeping off; keeps off

1

: to stop or prevent (someone or something) from being on (something)

Keep off the grass.

Please keep the dog off the sofa.

2

keep (weight) off : to continue to weigh a lower amount than one formerly weighed : to not regain weight that one has lost

Losing weight is not as hard as keeping it off.

3

: to not talk about (something)

I think we'd better keep off the subject of the war.

4

: to prevent (someone) from talking about (something)

We tried to keep them off (the subject of) the war.

Examples of keep off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At Neuras Wine and Wildlife Estate, on the edge of the Namib Desert, grapes are grown under netting to keep off hungry baboons, meaning there’s plenty for us tipple-loving primates to enjoy. —Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026

During two recent wintry swipes in North Georgia, drivers largely abided by the directive to keep off the roads. —Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 15 Feb. 2026

Stay on the beach and please keep off the shelf ice. —Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026

Since her episode aired in February 2012, Morris has managed to keep off 80 percent of her weight, according to her Instagram. —Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for keep off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff