keep – English verb conjugation

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to keep sb on
Participle: kept sb on
Gerund: keeping sb on

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

I	keep sb on
you	keep sb on
he;she;it	keeps sb on
we	keep sb on
you	keep sb on
they	keep sb on

Perfect

I	have kept sb on
you	have kept sb on
he;she;it	has kept sb on
we	have kept sb on
you	have kept sb on
they	have kept sb on

Past

I	kept sb on
you	kept sb on
he;she;it	kept sb on
we	kept sb on
you	kept sb on
they	kept sb on

Pluperfect

I	had kept sb on
you	had kept sb on
he;she;it	had kept sb on
we	had kept sb on
you	had kept sb on
they	had kept sb on

Future

I	will keep sb on
you	will keep sb on
he;she;it	will keep sb on
we	will keep sb on
you	will keep sb on
they	will keep sb on

Future Perfect

I	will have kept sb on
you	will have kept sb on
he;she;it	will have kept sb on
we	will have kept sb on
you	will have kept sb on
they	will have kept sb on

Subjunctive

Present

I	keep sb on
you	keep sb on
he;she;it	keep sb on
we	keep sb on
you	keep sb on
they	keep sb on

Perfect

I	have kept sb on
you	have kept sb on
he;she;it	have kept sb on
we	have kept sb on
you	have kept sb on
they	have kept sb on

Imperfect

I	kept sb on
you	kept sb on
he;she;it	kept sb on
we	kept sb on
you	kept sb on
they	kept sb on

Pluperfect

I	had kept sb on
you	had kept sb on
he;she;it	had kept sb on
we	had kept sb on
you	had kept sb on
they	had kept sb on

Conditional

Present

I	would keep sb on
you	would keep sb on
he;she;it	would keep sb on
we	would keep sb on
you	would keep sb on
they	would keep sb on

Perfect

I	would have kept sb on
you	would have kept sb on
he;she;it	would have kept sb on
we	would have kept sb on
you	would have kept sb on
they	would have kept sb on

Imperative

you	keep sb on
we	Let's keep sb on
you	keep sb on

Indicative

Present

I	am keeping sb on
you	are keeping sb on
he;she;it	is keeping sb on
we	are keeping sb on
you	are keeping sb on
they	are keeping sb on

Perfect

I	have been keeping sb on
you	have been keeping sb on
he;she;it	has been keeping sb on
we	have been keeping sb on
you	have been keeping sb on
they	have been keeping sb on

Past

I	was keeping sb on
you	were keeping sb on
he;she;it	was keeping sb on
we	were keeping sb on
you	were keeping sb on
they	were keeping sb on

Pluperfect

I	had been keeping sb on
you	had been keeping sb on
he;she;it	had been keeping sb on
we	had been keeping sb on
you	had been keeping sb on
they	had been keeping sb on

Future

I	will be keeping sb on
you	will be keeping sb on
he;she;it	will be keeping sb on
we	will be keeping sb on
you	will be keeping sb on
they	will be keeping sb on

Future Perfect

I	will have been keeping sb on
you	will have been keeping sb on
he;she;it	will have been keeping sb on
we	will have been keeping sb on
you	will have been keeping sb on
they	will have been keeping sb on

Conditional

Present

I	would be keeping sb on
you	would be keeping sb on
he;she;it	would be keeping sb on
we	would be keeping sb on
you	would be keeping sb on
they	would be keeping sb on

Perfect

I	would have been keeping sb on
you	would have been keeping sb on
he;she;it	would have been keeping sb on
we	would have been keeping sb on
you	would have been keeping sb on
they	would have been keeping sb on

Verbs conjugated like 'keep'

creep, feel, keep, lose, oversleep, sleep, sweep, weep, becreep, besleep, book-keep, bookkeep, cosleep, downsweep, foreweep, forsleep, gatekeep, housekeep, increep, kape, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)

Verbs similar to 'keep'

beep, eep, jeep, keek, keel, keen, kemp, meep, peep, seep,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

to reside for a time: sojourn
transitive|proceed with|to prolong: continue, keep on, proceed, sustain
to be left after a number or quantity has been subtracted or cut off: beleave, belive, remain, rest, stay
to stay somewhere temporarily: quarter, sleep over, sojourn, stay, stay over, stop, stop off, stop over, tarry
hold: restrain, detain, maintain, retain, reserve, have
obey: comply, conform, mind, observe, follow
observe: respect, consecrate, sanctify, honor, celebrate, commemorate, solemnize
stock: carry, have

Antonyms

hold: drop, desert, forego, forsake

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

1. late O.E. cepan "to seize, hold," also "to observe," from P.Gmc. *kopijanan, but with no certain connection to other languages. It possibly is related to O.E. capian "to look," from P.Gmc. *kap- (cepan was used c.1000 to render L. observare), which would make the basic sense "to keep an eye on."

"The word prob. belongs primarily to the vulgar and non-literary stratum of the language; but it comes up suddenly into literary use c.1000, and that in many senses, indicating considerable previous development." [OED]

Meaning "financially support and privately control" (usually in ref. to mistresses) is from 1560. The noun meaning "innermost stronghold of a tower" is from 1586, perhaps a translation of It. tenazza, with a notion of "that which keeps" (someone or something); the sense of "food required to keep a person or animal" is attested from 1801. Keepsake is first recorded 1790, on model of namesake; thus an object kept for the sake of the giver. For keeps "completely, for good" is Amer.Eng. colloquial, from 1861. Keeper "one who has charge of some person or thing, warden" is from c.1300; sense of "one who carries on some business" is from c.1440.
2. From Middle English kepen (“to keep, guard, look after, watch”), from Old English cēpan (“to seize, hold, observe”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *kōpijaną (“to look, heed, watch, observe”) (compare West Frisian kypje (“to look”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵab-, *ǵāb- (“to look after”) (compare Lithuanian žẽbti (“to eat reluctantly”), Russian забо́та (zabóta, “care, worry”)).
3. The dialectal sense of the verb meaning “to put back” or “put away” may be analyzed as a semantic loan from a local language—compare Welsh cadw and Mandarin 收 (shōu). See: Middle English 'kepen', Proto-Germanic '*kōpijaną'.

Sample Sentences

[...] to elbow his way upward in the world. He was much over-dressed, in a gaudy vest of many colors, a blue neckerchief, bedropped gayly with yellow spots, and arranged with a flaunting tie, quite in keeping with the general air of the man. His hands, large and coarse, were plentifully bedecked with rings; and he wore a heavy gold watch-chain, with a bundle of seals of portentous size, and a great [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] could manage to insinuate four people into it, all at one time; and entreating each other to observe how very airy it was (in dock ), and how there was a beautiful port-hole which could be kept open all day (weather permitting ), and how there was quite a large bull’s-eye just over the looking-glass which would render shaving a perfectly easy and delightful process (when the ship did n't [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
[...] French officials is sufficiently contemptible; but there is a surly boorish incivility about our men, alike disgusting to all persons who fall into their hands, and discreditable to the nation that keeps such ill-conditioned curs snarling about its gates. (American Notes for General Circulation)
[...] where everybody is a merchant, resides above his store; so that many occupations are often carried on in one house, and the whole front is covered with boards and inscriptions. As I walked along, I kept glancing up at these boards, confidently expecting to see a few of them change into something; and I never turned a corner suddenly without looking out for the clown and pantaloon, who, I had no [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
[...] as I was busy loading stones into a cart, that young Mas’r Tom stood there, slashing his whip so near the horse that the creature was frightened. I asked him to stop, as pleasant as I could,—he just kept right on. I begged him again, and then he turned on me, and began striking me. I held his hand, and then he screamed and kicked and ran to his father, and told him that I was fighting him. He came [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] themselves to any useful pursuit, on that account ) are so often and so unexpectedly and summarily cut off, and reinstated, and cut off again, that the whole family, down to the remotest cousin, is kept in a perpetual fever. At length it becomes plain that the old lady or gentleman has not long to live; and the plainer this becomes, the more clearly the old lady or gentleman perceives that [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
[...] is handsome, and smart, and bright ? I tell you, Eliza, that a sword will pierce through your soul for every good and pleasant thing your child is or has; it will make him worth too much for you to keep. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] and their contents were discharged. But though sight and hearing were gone for ever, the poor child 's sufferings were not ended. The fever raged during seven weeks; for five months she was kept in bed in a darkened room; it was a year before she could walk unsupported, and two years before she could sit up all day. It was now observed that her sense of smell was almost entirely destroyed; [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
[...] saying that I should like to see her write again, the teacher who sat beside her, bade her, in their language, sign her name upon a slip of paper, twice or thrice. In doing so, I observed that she kept her left hand always touching, and following up, her right, in which, of course, she held the pen. No line was indicated by any contrivance, but she wrote straight and freely. (American Notes for General Circulation)
“ I wonder what keeps Eliza, ” said Mrs. Shelby, after giving her bell repeated pulls, to no purpose. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
Okay. -[synthetic voice ] Warning... -Gotta keep pressure on it. I 'm working on it. (Runner)

keep – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of keep

Nominal Forms

Cognates

Indicative

Present

Perfect

Past

Pluperfect

Future

Future Perfect

Subjunctive

Present

Perfect

Imperfect

Pluperfect

Conditional

Present

Perfect

Imperative

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Perfect

Past

Pluperfect

Future

Future Perfect

Conditional

Present

Perfect

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'keep'

Verbs similar to 'keep'

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

Sample Sentences