keep back
Third Person
keeps back
Present Participle
keeping back
Past Tense
kept back
Past Participle
kept back
1
to prevent a feeling, emotion, or reaction from being expressed or displayed
- She couldn't keep back her tears when she heard the sad news.
- He struggled to keep back his laughter during the serious meeting.
- It was challenging for her to keep back her anger in the face of criticism.
- The movie's emotional ending was so powerful that it was impossible to keep the tears back.
- He had to keep back his frustration and maintain a calm demeanor.
2
to withhold or refuse to reveal information to someone
- I have a feeling that she's keeping back important details about the project.
- The detective suspected that the witness was keeping back key information.
- She's been keeping back her thoughts and opinions during the meetings.
- The teacher didn't want to keep the truth back from the students any longer.
- The manager kept back the news about the upcoming layoffs until the staff meeting.
Synonyms:
3
to set aside a portion of something for a specific purpose, often for personal use or future needs
- He decided to keep a portion of his earnings back for future investments.
- She advised her friend to keep back a bit of the cake for a midnight snack.
- The wise old man used to keep back some of his garden produce for the winter.
- The coach advised athletes to keep back some energy for the final sprint.
- She always made it a point to keep back some savings for unexpected expenses.
4
to maintain a distance from someone or something, usually for safety reasons
- The lifeguard instructed swimmers to keep back from the dangerous currents.
- Pedestrians were asked to keep back from the accident scene to allow emergency responders access.
- Spectators should keep back to avoid interfering with the performance.
- During the pandemic, it's important to keep back from crowded places.
- Parents encouraged their children to keep back from the edge of the cliff.
5
to prevent someone from getting too close to another person or thing
- The security guards were instructed to keep back anyone without proper identification.
- The police used barriers to keep back the protesters from approaching the government building.
- During the concert, the security personnel worked to keep back overenthusiastic fans.
- Barricades were erected to keep the crowds back at the event.
- The fence around the construction site was designed to keep back trespassers.
6
to require a student to repeat a grade or year at school due to poor academic performance
- The school decided to keep back some students in the second grade to provide additional support.
- James was kept back a year in high school to catch up on his studies.
- Failing multiple subjects led to the decision to keep her back in the sixth grade.
- Teachers and parents discussed the possibility of keeping certain students back for additional academic help.
- The school policy allowed for students to be kept back in their current grade if they didn't meet the required standards.
7
to require a student to stay at school beyond normal hours for disciplinary reasons
- The teacher decided to keep him back after school for talking during class.
- They were kept back for detention as a consequence of their misbehavior.
- The principal warned that students who broke the rules might be kept back for extra study time.
- The school's policy allowed teachers to keep students back for discipline when necessary.
- She was often kept back after school for failing to complete her assignments.