keep at

K k

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [keep at]
- /kip æt/
- /kiːp ət/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [keep at]
- /kip æt/

Definitions of keep at words

verb with object keep at to hold or retain in one's possession; hold as one's own: If you like it, keep it. Keep the change. 1
verb with object keep at to hold or have the use of for a period of time: You can keep it for the summer. 1
verb with object keep at to hold in a given place; store: You can keep your things in here. 1
verb with object keep at to maintain (some action), especially in accordance with specific requirements, a promise, etc.: to keep watch; to keep step. 1
verb with object keep at to cause to continue in a given position, state, course, or action: to keep a light burning; to keep a child happy. 1
verb with object keep at to maintain in condition or order, as by care and labor: He keeps his car in good condition. 1

See all 54 definitions of keep at

Information block about the term

Origin of keep at

First appearance:

before 1000

One of the 6% oldest English words

before 1000; Middle English kepen, Old English cēpan to observe, heed, watch, await, take; perhaps akin to Old English gecōp proper, fitting, capian to look, Old Norse kōpa to stare

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Keep at

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Keep at

keep at popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

keep at usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for keep at

verb keep at

carry forward — to transfer (a balance) to the next page, column, etc
continue — If someone or something continues to do something, they keep doing it and do not stop.
get with it — (in children's games) the player called upon to perform some task, as, in tag, the one who must catch the other players.
go for broke — a simple past tense of break.

All 12 Synonyms of keep at