keep back

verb

To hold back; to refuse to give or share.

Similar
retainholdhold backwithholdrestrainkeep
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Meanings

verbkeep back (third-person singular simple present keeps back, present participle keeping back, simple past and past participle kept back)

present singular third person keeps back · participle present keeping back · participle past kept back · past kept back

  1. transitiveTo hold back; to refuse to give or share.
  2. intransitiveTo stay back; to refrain from approaching.
  3. transitiveTo restrict or restrain.

    Germany eased off in the second half and this was a night when Joachim Löw, like Southgate, took the opportunity to keep back his best XI.

    2017 November 10, Daniel Taylor, “Youthful England earn draw with Germany but Lingard rues late miss”, in The Guardian (London)
  4. transitiveTo prevent (a pupil) from advancing in a course.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbsecure and keep for possible future use or application

Similar
retainholdhold back
Broader
keephold on

verbhold back; refuse to hand over or share

Similar
withhold
Broader
denyrefuse

verbprevent the action or expression of

Similar
restrainkeephold back
Broader
actmove
Also see
holdhold backkeeprestrainretainwithhold

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Bulgarian задържам, скривам
  • задържам (zadăržam)restrict or restrain
  • скривам (skrivam)restrict or restrain
Danish tilbageholde
  • tilbageholderestrict or restrain
Dutch terughouden
  • terughoudenrestrict or restrain
Esperanto reteni
  • retenirestrict or restrain
French retenir
  • retenirrestrict or restrain
German zurückhalten
  • zurückhaltenrestrict or restrain
Hungarian visszatart
  • visszatartrestrict or restrain
Irish coisc
  • coiscrestrict or restrain
Italian ritenere
  • ritenererestrict or restrain
Latin reprimō, dētineō
  • reprimōrestrict or restrain
  • dētineōrestrict or restrain
Norwegian holde tilbake
  • holde tilbakerestrict or restrain
Portuguese reter
  • reterrestrict or restrain
Spanish retener
  • retenerrestrict or restrain
Swedish hålla tillbaka
  • hålla tillbakarestrict or restrain
Cite this entry
APA

keep back. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20back

MLA

“keep back.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20back. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “keep back,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20back.

Source: keep back on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.