Word.ws English Dictionary

keeping one's own counsel

keeping one's own counsel is the present participle and gerund of keep one's own counsel.

Meaning of keep one's own counsel

Verb

keep one's own counsel (third-person singular simple present keeps one's own counsel, present participle keeping one's own counsel, simple past and past participle kept one's own counsel)

  1. To keep one's own business private; to be discreet, careful, or circumspect in what one says concerning one's own thoughts, deeds, or situation.
    • Near-synonyms: keep one's cards close to one's chest, keep it in the family, keep one's mouth shut; see also Thesaurus:be quiet

Questions about keeping one's own counsel

What is keeping one's own counsel the present participle and gerund of?
Keeping one's own counsel is the present participle and gerund of keep one's own counsel.

Words near keeping one's own counsel in the dictionary

  1. keeping one's lips sealed
  2. keeping one's mouth shut
  3. keeping one's nerve
  4. keeping one's nose clean
  5. keeping one's options open
  6. keeping one's own counsel
  7. keeping one's pants on
  8. keeping one's pecker up
  9. keeping one's powder dry
  10. keeping one's shirt on
  11. keeping one's side of the bargain

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeping one's own counsel (page history and authors); keep one's own counsel (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.

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