keep 1 of 2

1
as in to celebrate
to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony keep the Sabbath by not working

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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as in to store
to place somewhere for safekeeping or ready availability I keep extra toothbrushes for unexpected overnight guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

5
as in to maintain
to pay the living expenses of agreed to keep both of their children in off-campus housing until they graduated and found jobs

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keep

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word keep different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of keep are celebrate, commemorate, and observe. While all these words mean "to notice or honor a day, occasion, or deed," keep stresses the idea of not neglecting or violating.

kept the Sabbath by refraining from work

Where would celebrate be a reasonable alternative to keep?

While in some cases nearly identical to keep, celebrate suggests acknowledging an occasion by festivity.

traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving with a huge dinner

When might commemorate be a better fit than keep?

In some situations, the words commemorate and keep are roughly equivalent. However, commemorate suggests that an occasion is marked by observances that remind one of the origin and significance of the event.

commemorate Memorial Day with the laying of wreaths

When is it sensible to use observe instead of keep?

Although the words observe and keep have much in common, observe suggests marking the occasion by ceremonious performance.

not all holidays are observed nationally

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 keep
Verb
Both quarterbacks faced quality defenses and challenges in their own ways — Herbert with the withering pass rush and Nix with the frustrating Jesse Minter shells that keep everything in front and require a combination of patience and opportunism. Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025 The Patriots’ defense allowed two quick scores to the Steelers in Week 3 before settling down and keeping its offense in the game through five giveaways. Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
Zubimendi was leading the keep-ball in front of the defence. Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025 Let’s hope those idea-fish keep coming down the river. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for keep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keep
Verb
  • In June, Inaba celebrated her 20th anniversary with the program in a lengthy message posted to social media.
    Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Farage, meanwhile, has publicly celebrated his own friendship with the commander in chief.
    Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As others faltered, a 3-0 win against Bristol Academy meant Liverpool retained the title, beating Chelsea on goal difference.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced after Sunday's comeback win that Flacco will retain his position as the starter, despite the presence of rookie signal-callers Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders on the roster.
    Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Now in its 113th year, the initiative connects letters to Santa with individuals and organizations that volunteer to help fulfill holiday wishes.
    Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Does the army have enough political support and military strength to fulfill this mission without risking civil strife?
    Bilal Y. Saab, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The bag also features several interior and exterior pockets to make storing and organizing your belongings a breeze.
    Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Female and male participate in harvesting and storing acorns, take part in incubating eggs and feeding young.
    Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Syed, the subject of the debut season of the Serial podcast, has long maintained his innocence.
    Erin Jensen, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
  • These students are learning to think computationally while maintaining human judgment.
    Jaime Catmull, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Local police sought to have an alert sent out the Friday before they were found dead, but the agency that manages the program in Washington state declined to do so.
    Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Gold Reserve exists today to manage legal claims, and not to operate mines or refineries.
    Jordan Blum, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The conglomerate, which often aligns itself with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development goals and controls vast swathes of India’s infrastructure sector, is yet to fully recover from the market value erosion caused by the short seller’s accusations.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
  • New frontiers in medical use The ability to control the metamaterial remotely makes new medical applications possible.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • At every level—executive, judicial, legislative, corporate, institutional, media—every single guardrail that is supposed to protect our democracy is buckling.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2025
  • The only question that remains regarding Kershaw’s Hall of Fame candidacy is which member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) will be protected by anonymity and prevent him from being a unanimous selection in his first year of eligibility on the 2031 ballot.
    Wayne G. McDonnell, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Keep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keep. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.

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