keep (to) 1 of 2

verb

Definition of keep (to)next
as in to stick (to or with)
to give steadfast support to always keeps to his political positions, even when they are unpopular

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

keep to

2 of 2

phrase

as in obey
to act according to the commands of Let's keep to the original plan, shall we?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for keep (to)
  1. defend
  2. hold to
  3. stand by
  4. abide by
  5. accept
Verb
  • Amid the backlash, the White House has defended the television spots as public service announcements meant to educate voters and promote patriotism.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In an earlier statement to TMZ, Seaver defended his messages to Nozell, saying they had been taken out of context.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of defend
Verb
  • Reese, Naz Hilman and Madina Okot were held to 28 points combined with Okot scoring 16 – mostly in the fourth quarter.
    — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
  • After scoring 14 runs to begin this four-game series, the Royals have been held to just five runs in their last 18 innings.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026
Definition of hold to
Verb
  • However, some conservatives who were dismayed by the message stood by Hilton’s side.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • While some friends in the business quietly stood by me, most of them were gone.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of stand by
Verb
  • But as a rookie, Wilson doesn’t plan to abide by that hierarchy.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • Courts still must abide by their precedents and these three legal pillars if a lawsuit hits their dockets.
    — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 22 June 2026
Definition of abide by
Verb
  • AccuPoint does not charge an application fee or accept compensation from firms or any other parties for inclusion on the Financial Advisor 100 list.
    — Kelli Grant, CFP®,Riley de León, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Korean star Han Ji-min accepted The Hollywood Reporter’s Trailblazer Award at a glitzy gala high above Busan on Wednesday night, promising that her creative journey was only just beginning.
    — Mathew Scott, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of accept
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.

Browse Nearby Words

keeps up (with)
keep (to)
keep to
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Keep (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keep%20%28to%29. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All