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Glite Dictionary
to keep company

to keep company

14 3.3
Spend time with someone so they are not alone
  • phrasal verb
  • /kip ˈkʌmpəni/
translation icon : acompañar
  • Well, it's just that I don't think it's right for a girl to be keeping company with two fellows.
  • go and keep company
  • keep company with this man
  • keep good company

And so I suggested to my girlfriend, I said, why don't you, why don't you take Monkey and he can, you know, become yours and keep her company.

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Examples

  • Would you like to keep her company?

    The Glass Menagerie (1987)

  • You got so many friends to keep you company.

    The Demented (2021)

  • And thanks for keeping me company for the past two days.

  • But for those of you who stuck with me, keeping me company on this little journey, I appreciate you.

  • And I have all of you guys to keep me company.

    Human Zoo (2020)

  • Well, do you want to keep me company?

    Marvin's Room (1996)

  • I appreciate you showing me around, and I-I hope we can still keep each other company.

    Waiting on Mary (2016)

  • We met on a bus trip to the Alamo six months ago and have been keeping company ever since.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • You know, Caroline, you're the first girl I've kept company with since I came here.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Would you like to keep company with me for a while?

Synonyms

to accompany
vsto keep company
219 3.5

To go somewhere with someone as a companion

spend time with someone rather than simply going somewhere together
to keep (someone) company
vsto keep company
41 2.2

Stay with someone so they are not alone

spend time regularly as a friend rather than only giving comfort

Antonyms

to leave
∞ 1.0

To go away from a place, person, or group

to abandon
773 3.1

Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care

How Social

to socialize
  • US
68 2.8
to befriend
61 3.0
to keep company
14 3.3
to accompany
219 3.5

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

keep + company

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'keep' (to maintain/continue) with 'company' (social presence), yielding the idea of maintaining someone's companionship or spending time with them. This is a common, compositional English pattern (often realized as 'keep someone company' or 'keep company with') and a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Keep company shows a simple picture: keep means 'to stay with' and company means 'being with someone'. So keep company means 'to spend time with someone'.