English
Verb
Category: English phrasal verbs
en-verb|keeps down|keeping down|kept down|kept down
- transitive To repress.
#:China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently.
- transitive To restrain or control.
#:We must keep then noise down, or the neighbours will complain.
- transitive To cause not to increase or rise.
#:It is essential to keep the numbers down to avoid overcrowding.''
- transitive Not to vomit.
#:It is difficult to keep anything down when you have the flu.
- intransitive To lie low. To stay concealed by not standing up
#:You had better keep down or they will see you.
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
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