kept
/ˈkɛpt/
kept is the simple past and past participle of keep.
Meaning of keep
Verb
keep (third-person singular simple present keeps, present participle keeping, simple past and past participle kept)
- To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.
- to keep silence; to keep possession
- To remain faithful to a given promise or word.
- to keep one's word; to keep one's promise
- To maintain possession of.
- I keep a small stock of painkillers for emergencies.
- Synonyms:
- retain
- To maintain the condition of; to preserve in a certain state.
- I keep my specimens under glass to protect them.
- To record transactions, accounts, or events in.
- I used to keep a diary.
- To enter (accounts, records, etc.) in a book.
Origin of kept
From Middle English kept, kepte, from Old English cēpte; see -t.
Words formed from kept
Phrases with kept
- kept at
- kept in
- kept on
- kept to
- kept up
- kept boy
- kept men
- kept off
- kept out
- kept away
- kept back
- kept boys
151 more phrasesFewer phrases
- kept cave
- kept down
- kept from
- kept pace
- kept rank
- kept time
- time kept
- kept ahead
- kept count
- kept faith
- kept going
- kept house
- kept it up
- kept order
- kept quiet
- kept score
- kept shtum
- kept stumm
- kept tryst
- kept under
- kept vigil
- kept watch
- kept women
- kept across
- kept an act
- kept around
- kept it 100
- kept out of
- kept schtum
- kept wicket
- kept company
- kept counsel
- kept in mind
- kept in with
- kept tabs on
- kept up with
- kept a lid on
- kept measures
- kept on about
- kept sight of
- kept straight
- kept the baby
- kept the book
- kept the pace
- kept together
- kept an eye on
- kept away from
- kept good time
- kept it a bean
- kept it a buck
- kept it moving
- kept the field
- kept the peace
- kept a look-out
- kept an eye out
- kept it a stack
- kept one's cool
- kept one's head
- kept one's word
- kept to oneself
- kept a cool head
- kept a watch out
- kept an eye open
- kept it together
- kept on truckin'
- kept on trucking
- kept one's nerve
- kept one's end up
- kept one's temper
- kept a close watch
- kept a low profile
- kept an eye peeled
- kept on keeping on
- kept one's chapels
- kept one's chin up
- kept one's counsel
- kept one's hair on
- kept one's tits on
- kept someone sweet
- kept the lights on
- kept an eye skinned
- kept it one hundred
- kept off the street
- kept one's distance
- kept one's guard up
- kept one's pants on
- kept one's shirt on
- kept someone honest
- kept someone on ice
- kept someone posted
- kept the powder dry
- kept up appearances
- kept a tight rein on
- kept it a buck fifty
- kept off the streets
- kept one's ears open
- kept one's eyes open
- kept one's head down
- kept one's pecker up
- kept someone company
- kept the flag flying
- kept the pot boiling
- kept it in the family
- kept one's mouth shut
- kept one's nose clean
- kept one's powder dry
- kept someone guessing
- kept the ball rolling
- kept it in one's pants
- kept one's countenance
- kept one's eyes peeled
- kept one's knickers on
- kept one's lips sealed
- kept one's own counsel
- kept someone posted up
- kept to one's knitting
- kept up with the times
- kept a weather eye open
- kept one's eyes skinned
- kept one's options open
- kept oneself to oneself
- the Earth kept spinning
- the world kept spinning
- kept someone in the loop
- kept someone up at night
- kept up with the Joneses
- kept the show on the road
- kept one's eye on the ball
- kept one's eyeballs peeled
- kept one's fingers crossed
- kept someone on their toes
- kept body and soul together
- kept it between the ditches
- kept one's eyes on the ball
- kept one's head above water
- kept one's head on a swivel
- kept one's stick on the ice
- kept soul and body together
- kept the home fires burning
- kept the wolf from the door
- kept a dog and barked oneself
- kept one's side of the bargain
- kept one's head above the water
- a promise made is a promise kept
- kept a civil tongue in one's head
- kept one's head below the parapet
- kept one's head on one's shoulders
- taken a licking and kept on ticking
- kept one's head upon one's shoulders
- kept one's cards close to one's chest
- kept one's breath to cool one's porridge
Words that rhyme with kept
Questions about kept
- What is kept the simple past and past participle of?
- Kept is the simple past and past participle of keep.
- How do you pronounce kept?
- Kept is pronounced /ˈkɛpt/.
Words near kept in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: kept (page history and authors); keep (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:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-kept.ogg.
Cite this entry: “kept.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/kept. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.