the company (one) keeps

the company (one) keeps

The people with whom one associates or spends time. It's hard as a parent to monitor the company your child keeps without being too controlling of their lives. You can tell a lot about a person by looking at the company they keep.

See also: company, keep

the ˈcompany somebody keeps

the people with whom somebody spends time: People disapprove of the company he keeps.

See also: company, keep, somebody