Word.ws English Dictionary

keeping one's head above water

keeping one's head above water is the present participle and gerund of keep one's head above water.

Meaning of keep one's head above water

Verb

keep one's head above water (third-person singular simple present keeps one's head above water, present participle keeping one's head above water, simple past and past participle kept one's head above water)

  1. (idiomatic) To survive or endure, especially in a situation in which one is struggling to avoid being overwhelmed by adverse financial circumstances.
    • Near-synonym: tread water
    Synonyms:
    tread water
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: maintain an above-water position of one's head so as not to drown in the water.
    • Near-synonym: tread water
    Synonyms:
    tread water

Questions about keeping one's head above water

What is keeping one's head above water the present participle and gerund of?
Keeping one's head above water is the present participle and gerund of keep one's head above water.

Words near keeping one's head above water in the dictionary

  1. keeping one's fingers crossed
  2. keeping one's guard up
  3. keeping one's hair on
  4. keeping one's head
  5. keeping one's head above the water
  6. keeping one's head above water
  7. keeping one's head below the parapet
  8. keeping one's head down
  9. keeping one's head on a swivel
  10. keeping one's head on one's shoulders
  11. keeping one's head upon one's shoulders

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeping one's head above water (page history and authors); keep one's head above water (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “keeping one's head above water.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/keeping_one%27s_head_above_water. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.