KEEPING Synonyms: 341 Similar and Opposite Words

keeping 1 of 2

noun

ˈkē-piŋ

Definition of keeping

as in custody

responsibility for the safety and well-being of someone or something put the house keys into a neighbor's secure keeping while they were on vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in hands

the fact or state of having (something) at one's disposal my aunt has all of our family's old photographs in her keeping

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in adherence

the following of a custom, rule, or law the keeping of religious laws and traditions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shape

a state of being or fitness the estate hasn't been in good keeping since the owner suffered financial reverses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

keeping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of keep

as in celebrating

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in retaining

to continue to have in one's possession or power the money is yours to keep keep my secret and don't tell it to anyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fulfilling

to do what is required by the terms of make sure you keep your promise to help out at the homeless shelter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in storing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in supporting

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in managing

to look after and make decisions about enlisted a relative to keep the store while she was away

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in controlling

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) try to keep your composure no matter what happens

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in protecting

to drive danger or attack away from may God bless and keep you

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 keeping

Noun

Idzik and Young are doing a great job keeping defenses off balance, and the partnership is paying early dividends. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2026 The 150 large sheets of parchment that go inside the book were kept separate from the cover and remain in safe keeping. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Verb

Heatherly showed her leadership in keeping McAuley on an even keel during the first game against Lyons. — Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 The end result can be a grass graveyard, so Fowler said getting rid of the leaves is important to keeping your lawn healthy. — John Shumway, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for keeping

Recent Examples of Synonyms for keeping

Noun

Muñoz was put in handcuffs in his pajamas and taken into federal custody downtown.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
In a statement released by Acton's campaign, her brother, Philip Stearns, said the two were removed from their mother Donna Arthur's custody as children after their stepfather, Arthur's husband, was indicted for raping Acton as a child.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of custody

Noun

The video shows four deputies running after Garza along Interstate 10 in Palm Springs, with Garza facing the deputies several times while holding an object in his hands.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Alaska’s bid for statehood, in the late nineteen-fifties, was in part a matter of keeping the hands of Seattle businessmen off local salmon stocks.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of hands

Noun

Kyiv has also ended its brief adherence to the energy ceasefire Trump declared unilaterally earlier this month.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
The more meaningful questions are whether RPM caught deterioration earlier, improved medication adherence or let clinicians intervene before a patient worsened.

— Ayush Jain, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of adherence

Noun

The wide-leg pants keep things relaxed, and the ruched waist on the knit top adds shape and makes the whole look feel more polished than a standard sweatshirt set.

— Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2026
Part of its purpose, from the beginning, was not only to deliver new facts but to interpret ragged events for a nervous audience of relatively prosperous, largely white viewers who shared Wallace’s concern about the shape and tenor of the future.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of shape

Verb

Stylish couples on epic breaks, as well as families and groups of friends celebrating a big day.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
Dior is celebrating the holidays at Harrods with a pop-up shop that will showcase the first cruise collection designed for the brand by Jonathan Anderson.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of celebrating

Verb

The 100% cotton set, made in Italy, is slightly softer than your typical percale, while retaining the crisp, cool feel that makes the material a perennial favorite.

— Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026
Paraphrasing typically restates the original information in more relevant language while retaining key ideas.

— Ethan Stone, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of retaining

Verb

All of this comes in a context of France’s skyrocketing public debt, making fulfilling protester demands nearly impossible.

— Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
They’re being asked to consider the most basic questions about meaning, and justice, and leading a fulfilling life.

— Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of fulfilling

Verb

Every operation consumes computational resources, while storing intermediate results requires additional qubits.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Both robots had equal-power motors, with one providing steady, continuous motion in the rigid legs and the other intermittently storing energy and releasing it in snaps.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026