keep down

English

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To repress.

   The dictatorial state keeps down its dissidents very efficiently.

   • 1977, “Dreams”, in Stevie Nicks (lyrics), Fleetwood Mac (music), Rumours‎^[1], performed by Stevie Nicks:

     Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom / Well, who am I to keep you down? / It's only right that you should play the way you feel it / But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness

2. (transitive) To restrain or control (a sound).

   We must keep the noise down, or the neighbours will complain.

   Keep it down in there! Some of us are trying to sleep!

3. (transitive) To cause not to increase or rise.

   It is essential to keep the numbers down to avoid overcrowding.

4. (transitive) To retain in the stomach without vomiting.

   It is difficult to keep anything down when you have the flu.

5. (intransitive) To lie low; to stay concealed by not standing up.

   You had better keep down or they will see you.

6. (obsolete, printing) To refrain from using capital letters more than absolutely necessary.

   Antonym: keep up

Usage notes

In all transitive senses the object may appear before or after the particle. If the object is a pronoun, then it must be before the particle.

Derived terms

• keep it down
• you can't keep a good man down

Anagrams

• knopweed