keep down

verb

kept down; keeping down; keeps down

transitive verb

1
: to keep in control
keep expenses down
2
: to prevent from growing, advancing, or succeeding

Examples of keep down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In this sense, CDs can be a good place to keep down payments or closing costs, tuition, annual insurance premiums, or tax payments. True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 That overall price tag could be kept down if some party involved in the deal — Kansas, the local governments, or the Chiefs — were to set aside emergency funds, Marlowe said. Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 18 Jan. 2026 But Hawke is a hard guy to keep down. David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 13 Jan. 2026 All in all, a course of Xofluza might be easier for you—or your kid already queasy from the flu itself—to get down and keep down. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for keep down

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of keep down was in 1548

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Keep down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep%20down. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

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