kept

Definition of keptnext
past tense of keep
1
2
3
4
as in stored
to place somewhere for safekeeping or ready availability I keep extra toothbrushes for unexpected overnight guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

5
as in maintained
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

6
7
8

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 kept The filings this week are part of an effort by JPMorgan Chase to have the case moved from state to federal court and to have the jurisdiction of the case moved to New York, which is where the bank accounts were located and where Trump kept much of his business operations until recently. Ken Sweet, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026 After Windward scored the first two points of the game, Valencia’s defense kept Windward off the board again until there was less than a minute left in the period. Tony Gleason, Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026 The Tommies have had the most prolific offense in the conference this season, but the Vikings kept the clamps on them for most of the night. Dean Spiros, Twin Cities, 22 Feb. 2026 Official casualty figures are kept strictly out of the public gaze, although estimates from multiple sources indicate losses that are eye-wateringly high. Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026 During the growing season, the more than 240,000 panels of the Clover Creek Solar Project are kept free of sagebrush by sheep that happily graze between the lines, napping in the shade of the panels during the hottest parts of the day. Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026 The filings this week are part of an effort by JPMorgan Chase to have the case both moved from state to federal court and to have the jurisdiction of the case moved to New York, which is where the bank accounts were located and where Trump kept much of his business operations until recently. Ken Sweet, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026 This study not only clarified the date of the burial, which drove archaeologists practically mad, as no one could determine why the dates kept coming back so broadly, but also settled the matter once and for all. Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026 For more than a month, Michal Weits has kept suitcases packed by the front door of her house in Tel Aviv. Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kept
Verb
  • On Thursday night, Alexander Wang celebrated the ribbon-cutting for The Wang Contemporary — a cultural platform dedicated to supporting and amplifying Asian and Asian American creatives — with a starry celebration that drew industry insiders and celebrities alike.
    Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
  • Her mission is to build environments, both digital and in real life, where support is felt, stories are honored, and life’s most meaningful chapters are celebrated.
    Jason Phillips, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Cocktail dresses and cozy twinsets have been swapped out for work-appropriate blazers and cardigans layered over shirts, though Rowe retained some of Jones’s flirty personality by dressing her in pieces such as a mini skirt, made more demure styled with stockings.
    Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
  • But the parents opting out point to research showing that students who used computers at school performed worse academically and that information is better retained when read on paper.
    Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 16 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Companies are also betting big on humanoid robots, which could eventually take over many tasks currently being fulfilled by humans.
    Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The show was providing legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time rule for two other candidates, including Representative Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.
    Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • One leading theory is that sleep replenishes energy that’s stored in brain cells.
    Shayla Love, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
  • Under the 2018 Cloud Act, the country's law enforcement can request user data from American companies, regardless of where the data is stored.
    Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Our bodies naturally produce glutathione and optimal levels can be maintained through diet and lifestyle factors.
    Brianna Peters, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The city has maintained strict lighting codes ever since, with streetlights and public lighting designed to protect night-sky visibility.
    Megan Eaves, Outside, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Against the odds, Ukraine managed to repel the initial Russian attack on Kyiv and, within a few months, took back large swaths of land originally seized by Moscow.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
  • Abstaining from all fluids may sound challenging, but it can be managed with proper planning, says fitness and mental health coach Saima Husain, who is also fasting during Ramadan.
    Devinder Bains, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • After his death, Bogut and her family found out that the drugs Patryk had used before his death contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.
    Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The fire is over 280,000 acres and only 15% contained, according to Watch Duty, a wildfire tracking app.
    Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • As a child, Sky Roberts remembers how his big sister Virginia protected him.
    Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The Wizards hope that an early lottery pick will join that nucleus this offseason, but the team owes a top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick to the New York Knicks.
    Josh Robbins, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kept. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on kept

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!