AAAmerican Accent US

keep back

Separable

The object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: keep BACK. Saying “KEEP back” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Do not release the /p/. Before the consonant of “back” the stop is held and swallowed rather than popped — the same unreleased-stop move as in hot dog. One smooth unit: “keep back”.

What it means

  1. To withhold information or money.

    • “I think he's keeping something back.”
    • “They kept back ten percent until the work was signed off.”

    Similar: withhold, hold back

The particle logic

back

Something returns to where it was, or is held in reserve.

Listen + practice

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More KEEP phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

keep up

To maintain a pace or a standard.

keep up with

To stay level with someone or something moving forward.

keep on

To continue doing something.

keep out

To stay outside, or to prevent something from entering.

keep away

To stay at a distance from something.

keep to

To adhere to a plan, rule or route.

keep back — meaning, examples & how to say it