kept

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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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 With his back against the wall, Smith kept the Giants’ lead intact. Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2026 HomeServices agreed to pay $250 million of a more than $1 billion settlement to resolve claims that long-standing rules over the splitting of real estate commissions kept them artificially high. Alex Crippen, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026 Complex international maritime law, competing ownership claims, ethical infighting among academics about how best to approach the undersea historical site, and the immense technical and fiscal costs of recovery have kept its bounty on the sea floor. Brett Berk, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 2026 Bladow kept getting hit, and Chaminade kept delivering shot after shot in the backfield, led by the senior duo of Williams (a UNLV commit) and Manning. Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 22 Aug. 2026 And of course, over the last seven games of the season, De Zerbi kept them up. Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 The 27 Starlink satellites, meanwhile, kept traveling to low Earth orbit aboard the Falcon 9's upper stage, deploying on schedule just under 62 minutes after launch. Mike Wall, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2026 The child kept making her sounds, completely unaware, reaching up again for the edge of the mother’s scarf. Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 The Shards actress, 24, kept her ensemble sophisticated with a little black dress and an oversized khaki trench coat. Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kept
Verb
  • Once, Myers celebrated a Knicks win from one side of the prison wall while Hood cheered from the other.
    Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The site says that there are 5,000 sailors on board, and within the last week, the ship celebrated its 200,000th arrest landing in its 34 years.
    Chris Quintana, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich in their own corruption cases, and former Department of Justice criminal chief Brent Wible have also been retained.
    Hannah Meisel, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Special touches added by Gail have been retained, including an eccentric serpent mosaic based on a design by Frank Zappa himself.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The two documents work together to ensure your wishes are fulfilled, lawyers said.
    Medora Lee, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Like Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal, who were all born in that year and grew up in the academy together, Xavi Espart fulfilled the dream of millions of youngsters worldwide by making his Barcelona debut.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The ability for those tailings to be stored on land safely is a key debate.
    Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • That molecular-level control could provide a way to increase the amount of energy stored in aqueous zinc-ion batteries without allowing unwanted proton reactions to dominate the electrode.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The Very Large Crude Carrier – the largest oil tanker class, stretching over 1,000 feet – maintained a steady pace of 13 knots across the Persian Gulf, near its top speed.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye, meanwhile, told the court that the trial defense attorneys agreed to the arrangement and maintained that it was held.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Harston is also one of the Screaming Marys, a performance collective managed by Screaming Alley, which regularly hosts workshops in everything from burlesque to lip-syncing – and previously did Jackson’s drag king course.
    Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Those came when Madrid’s Champions League match at Benfica (then managed by Mourinho) was stopped after the Brazilian alleged opposition winger Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him.
    Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Traces of a silk fabric found near her skull that may have been used as a trim on a hat or bonnet contained metal threads made of pure gold and silver.
    Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • According to German media, the cache in Berlin contained two handguns and ammunition.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • So, heirs shouldn't assume that a creditor's claim automatically means the house will be sold — or, conversely, that inheriting the house means it's protected from the deceased person's debts.
    Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Although American missile defense systems protected the Gulf from the worst of the barrage, enough Iranian strikes got through to do substantial harm and to disrupt the patina of stability on which the region’s social and economic model rested.
    MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Kept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kept. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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