Word.ws English Dictionary

keeps one's own counsel

keeps one's own counsel is the third-person singular simple present indicative 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 keeps one's own counsel

What is keeps one's own counsel the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Keeps one's own counsel is the third-person singular simple present indicative of keep one's own counsel.

Words near keeps one's own counsel in the dictionary

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

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeps 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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