Word.ws English Dictionary

keeps one's head above water

keeps one's head above water is the third-person singular simple present indicative 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 keeps one's head above water

What is keeps one's head above water the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Keeps one's head above water is the third-person singular simple present indicative of keep one's head above water.

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

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

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeps 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.

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