keep from (doing something)
1. To resist, refrain from, or avoid doing something. I know I shouldn't spend my money so frivolously, but I just can't keep from buying these fancy gadgets. She felt guilty that she had kept from telling him the truth of the matter.
2. To prevent or dissuade someone or some group from doing something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "keep" and "from." My parents tried to keep me from seeing Jeremy, so we decided to elope to Alaska. These regulations are in place to keep large companies from exploiting their employees.
keep something from (someone)
To prevent someone from learning or finding out something; to keep something a secret from someone. I was going to find out you'd spent the money eventually, so I don't understand why you tried to keep it from me. I get the feeling you're not telling me everything. What are you keeping from me?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
keep someone from someone or something
to hold someone away from someone or something; to prevent someone from getting at someone or something. You must keep the child from her mother until the mother is infection-free. It is hard to keep a child from the playground, even a sick child. I could hardly keep myself from the dessert table.
keep something from someone
not to tell something to someone. Why did you keep the news from me? I needed to know. This matter shouldn't have been kept from me.
keep from something
to avoid doing something; to refrain from doing something. How could I keep from crying? It was so sad! Try to keep from falling off the ladder.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
keep from
1. Withhold; also, prevent. For example, What information are you keeping from me? or Please keep your dog from running through our garden. [c. 1340]
2. Restrain oneself, hold oneself back, as in I can hardly keep from laughing. [c. 1340]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
keep from
v.1. To prevent someone or something from doing something: The tape is there to keep the pages from falling apart. This constant noise is keeping me from my work.
2. To refrain from doing something: I couldn't keep from having a little snack before dinner.
3. To prevent some information from becoming known by someone or something: They kept the news of the accident from the newspapers.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.