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Definition of keep back phrasal verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

keep back

phrasal verb
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keep back (from somebody/something)
  1. to stay at a distance from somebody/something
    • Keep well back from the road.
keep somebody back
  1. (British English)
    (North American English keep somebody after)
    to make a student stay at school after normal hours as a punishment
  2. (North American English) to make a student repeat a year at school because of poor grades
keep somebody back (from somebody/something)
  1. to make somebody stay at a distance from somebody/something
    • Barricades were erected to keep back the crowds.
keep something back
  1. to prevent a feeling, etc. from being expressed synonym restrain
    • She was unable to keep back her tears.
  2. to continue to have a part of something
    • He kept back half the money for himself.
keep something back (from somebody)
  1. to refuse to tell somebody something
    • I'm sure she's keeping something back from us.
See keep back in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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