keeping

noun

keep·​ing ˈkē-piŋ How to pronounce keeping (audio)
Synonyms of keepingnext
1
: conformity
in keeping with good taste
out of keeping with the decor
2
: the act of one that keeps: such as
a
: custody, maintenance
b
: observance
c
: a reserving or preserving for future use
3
a
: the means by which something is kept : support, provision
b
: the state of being kept or the condition in which something is kept
the house is in good keeping

Synonyms of keeping

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of keeping in a Sentence

put the house keys into a neighbor's secure keeping while they were on vacation my aunt has all of our family's old photographs in her keeping
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.
Prices have since eased, but household chicken-keeping has not retreated with them. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 30 June 2026 But my favorite features on this backpack are the interior pockets for easy access to my passport and safe-keeping for smaller items like earbuds. — Carin Ryan, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2026 This kind of record-keeping proves especially useful when interacting with large bureaucracies or county departments. — William Jones, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2026 Since record-keeping began in 1875, the available records show Pittsburgh has only hit 100 degrees or greater 21 times. — Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for keeping

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of keeping was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing keeping

Rhymes for keeping

See All Rhymes for keeping

Browse Nearby Words

keep in
keeping
keeping room
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Keeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keeping. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

keeping

noun
keep·​ing
ˈkē-piŋ
1
: watchful attention : care
2
: a proper or fitting relationship : harmony
in keeping with good taste

More from Merriam-Webster on keeping

Nglish: Translation of keeping for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All