Word.ws English Dictionary

kept the flag flying

kept the flag flying is the simple past and past participle of keep the flag flying.

Meaning of keep the flag flying

Verb

keep the flag flying (third-person singular simple present keeps the flag flying, present participle keeping the flag flying, simple past and past participle kept the flag flying)

  1. To bid more or less rashly in order to liven up the game.
    • In spite of Y's double and in spite of the fact that the spade suit is not of the slightest use to him, as A cannot get any discards on it, A bids two hearts not only to keep the flag flying and prevent Z from going game but with high hopes that Y's double is a bluff.1911, Advanced Auction Bridge, page 158

Questions about kept the flag flying

What is kept the flag flying the simple past and past participle of?
Kept the flag flying is the simple past and past participle of keep the flag flying.

Words near kept the flag flying in the dictionary

  1. kept tabs on
  2. kept the baby
  3. kept the ball rolling
  4. kept the book
  5. kept the field
  6. kept the flag flying
  7. kept the home fires burning
  8. kept the lights on
  9. kept the pace
  10. kept the peace
  11. kept the pot boiling

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: kept the flag flying (page history and authors); keep the flag flying (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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