kept

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 For the past 25 years, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule has kept vital forests and grassland safe from bulldozers, saws, excavators and drilling equipment. Ryan Gellert, Time, 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 Zara Larsson and Livvy Dunne kept it chill and cute while hanging out in their seats. Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025 For years, Coverley kept her daughters’ existence a secret from her own parents. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025 Augusta Gein, intent on protecting her two sons from temptation, made sure the family kept to themselves. Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025 One-of-a-kind concepts and special vehicles are kept at Ford's world headquarters. Eric D. Lawrence, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025 While plot details are being kept under wraps, Kevin Burrows (The Pickup) and Matt Mider (The Package) wrote an initial draft for the project. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025 Asked how Gordon kept his lineup off balance, Espada paused for three seconds and then started to shake his head. Chandler Rome, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kept
Verb
  • Earlier this year, Black celebrated the birth of another son, who was sleeping peacefully at home as Black recounted his story.
    Cara Anthony, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The cases were largely led by the commanding figure of Justice Alexandre de Moraes, appointed to the court by a conservative president in 2017, whose stance against Bolsonaro and his allies was celebrated by the left and denounced by the right as political persecution.
    Ricardo Brito, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Canales retained Evero in 2024 with the thought that the defensive coordinator would essentially be the head coach of the defense.
    Mike Kaye September 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Fixed and variable factory labor is carefully managed, with core labor retained full-time and trade labor flexed as needed.
    Jennifer Castenson, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Buried under the charred rubble on Life Changers Global Ministries’ parking lot is a promise that will be fulfilled, the decades-old south Phoenix church’s pastor is quick to assure.
    Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
    Ryley Amond, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • One camp might have moldy walls and machinery stored inches from a sleeping area.
    David Rodriguez Muñoz, Freep.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Some food was stored on the floor in the freezer, there was no soap at one of the hand sinks and food debris was found on the outside of some of the equipment.
    Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The defense, McCarthy maintained, would have no response.
    Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Patterson, who maintained her innocence throughout the trial and said the poisonings were accidental, has 28 days to appeal her sentence.
    Alasdair Pal, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • By Sunday evening, the fire crew managed to contain 14% of this wildfire.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • In previous years, a private consultant managed the grant distribution process.
    Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • On a sunny Tuesday morning, 35-year-old Rita Guerrero stepped out from her door on North Mariposa Street, lively pup Olive barely contained by her leash.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Police quickly contained the situation as around 150 mostly young demonstrators chanted anti-police slogans in a largely calm atmosphere.
    Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Proponents of the relocation, however, believe it is protected by their First Amendment religious rights.
    Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • And the biggest improvement of all — Harrell protected the ball, finishing the game 17 of 29 for 140 yards.
    Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Kept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kept. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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