keep 1 of 2

1
as in to celebrate
to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony keep the Sabbath by not working

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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as in to store
to place somewhere for safekeeping or ready availability I keep extra toothbrushes for unexpected overnight guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

5
as in to maintain
to pay the living expenses of agreed to keep both of their children in off-campus housing until they graduated and found jobs

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keep

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word keep different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of keep are celebrate, commemorate, and observe. While all these words mean "to notice or honor a day, occasion, or deed," keep stresses the idea of not neglecting or violating.

kept the Sabbath by refraining from work

Where would celebrate be a reasonable alternative to keep?

While in some cases nearly identical to keep, celebrate suggests acknowledging an occasion by festivity.

traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving with a huge dinner

When might commemorate be a better fit than keep?

In some situations, the words commemorate and keep are roughly equivalent. However, commemorate suggests that an occasion is marked by observances that remind one of the origin and significance of the event.

commemorate Memorial Day with the laying of wreaths

When is it sensible to use observe instead of keep?

Although the words observe and keep have much in common, observe suggests marking the occasion by ceremonious performance.

not all holidays are observed nationally

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of keep
Verb
With its outstanding tennis and pickleball program, renowned surf school, and kids' clubs and beach clubs, there’s no shortage of activities to keep everyone entertained. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025 Head coach Éric Chelle, tasked with steadying the ship after recent stumbles, kept his cards close. Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
But certain regimes remain tricky to simulate perfectly, such as unsteady interactions at off‑design angles, boundary‑layer transition, and inlet buzz, which is why scaled wind‑tunnel models still earn their keep validating corner cases before full‑scale testing. Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2025 Still, the chair earned its keep. Jenny Wiegand, Outside, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for keep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keep
Verb
  • Dozens of family, friends and coworkers gathered for a vigil outside of Broadbelt’s Miami Gardens home to celebrate her life and comfort each other with food and prayer.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Bateman's character, Vince Friedken, battles a gambling addiction in a trailer for the crime thriller, as Law's Jake Friedken celebrates the growing success of his buzzy establishment.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The product launches demonstrate how Europe’s legacy manufacturers are taking the fight to their Chinese rivals, in a bid to both retain market share in the European Union and offset declining sales in China, the world’s largest car market.
    Sam Meredith, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
  • While most wellness apps retain just 3–4% of users after a month (30% for human coaches), Wellness Coach keeps 87% engaged.
    Gil Press, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Liberation from time and pruning through mass dishwasher ownership is a dream that remainsonly partly fulfilled.
    Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Half of Walmart’s online orders are fulfilled from stores, with the rest coming from Walmart warehouses and seller warehouses.
    Dan Gingiss, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Carbon credit monetization – Forward-looking companies are already earning credits by capturing and storing emissions, feeding into voluntary and compliance carbon markets.
    Peter Bendor-Samuel, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Hospitals can store medical records, lab results, imaging scans, and real time feeds from bedside monitors in a single hub.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This means regularly assessing your thinking skills, consciously choosing when to engage versus delegate mental tasks, and maintaining practices that keep your mind sharp.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • When asked about the changing landscape of college athletics, Calipari said more regulations need to be put in place, including tougher restrictions on transfers and years that players are able to maintain eligibility.
    Michael Harley, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • What began as a handful of campus groups now stretches across more than 3,500 high schools and universities, supported by dozens of full-time staff who manage student activists like a professional sales force.
    Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • At the same time, the industry is embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to manage tariff risks, optimize logistics costs, and ensure pricing compliance across complex regulatory environments.
    Nish Acharya, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Democrats are doing fairly well in the generic congressional ballot, which tests which party voters prefer to control Congress.
    W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The team has now built the first transistor-like switch that controls exciton flow.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • With his back against the wall, Tony must draw on his tactical training to protect his family and survive a deadly showdown with a powerful crime syndicate.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Some Cosmists saw technology as destructive and transformative, while others believed its role should be to protect and preserve.
    Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Keep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keep. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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