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Glite Dictionary
😶 To hide feelings 🤐 To not share 💰 To save for later
to keep back

to keep back

3 4.5
Not tell or give something to other people
  • phrasal verb
  • /kip bæk/
translation icon : ocultar
  • The authorities used barricades to keep back the onlookers from the scene.
  • keep back the tears

Examples

Synonyms

to conceal
vsto keep back
282 3.7

To hide something so others cannot see or find it

focuses on refusing to give or share rather than hiding things
to withhold
vsto keep back
210 5.1

Refuse to give something someone wants or needs

also covers preventing things from becoming known or distributed
to keep one's mouth shut
vsto keep back
  • Informal
116 5.6

To say nothing to avoid trouble or keep a secret

includes refusing to give or stopping distribution, not only staying silent
to keep quiet
vsto keep back
90 2.5

To say nothing or not tell a secret

also covers refusing to give or preventing distribution rather than only silence
to keep a secret
vsto keep back
76 2.6

To not tell anyone private information

also applies to refusing to give or to prevent items being shared
to retain
vsto keep back
60 3.0

To hold something inside so it does not escape

is about refusing to give or stopping distribution rather than saving for later
to hold back
vsto keep back
17 3.2

Keep something for later use

usually refuses to give or prevent distribution rather than saving for later
to keep mum
vsto keep back
  • Informal
3 7.5

Stay quiet about something private

focuses on refusing to give or stopping spread, not just chosen silence

Antonyms

share
667 1.6

A part of money, food or property given to someone

to disclose
234 4.1

To tell people information that was secret

How Withheld

to keep back
3 4.5
to hide
∞ 1.0
to delay
562 1.4

Surface Forms

keep back infinitive
keeping back present participle
keeps back third person singular
kept back past
kept back past participle

Morphology

keep + back

The meaning 'to withhold' is a direct compositional extension of 'keep' (to hold or retain) combined with 'back' (towards the rear / away from others), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer holding something in reserve or preventing it from being released. This particle-verb pattern is a common, predictable phrasal-verb construction in English (and mirrors similar constructions in other languages), making the expression readily understandable at B1.

Etymology

Keep back can come from the image of holding a letter or news behind your back so no one can see it. That picture shows why it means 'to withhold' information or items.