keeping
/ˈkiːpɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkiːpɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkē-piŋ/ (ame, mw)
keeping — noun
1. the job or duty of looking after a person, animal, or valuable object so that no
the job or duty of looking after a person, animal, or valuable object so that nothing happens to them — for example, holding a friend's passport while she travels.
Justin left the spare key with his neighbour for safe keeping during the holidays.
fixed phrase: for safe keeping
The diamond necklace was placed in the museum curator's keeping until the auction.
in someone's keeping = under their care
When the family divided up the heirlooms, the old photo albums passed into Mira's keeping.
Omar trusted the rare manuscripts to the librarian's keeping for the summer.
Please put the medals in your keeping until I return from Taipei next month.
文法句型
in someone's keeping
for safe keeping
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed patterns 'in someone's keeping' or 'for safe keeping'. Rarely used as a bare noun without one of these prepositions.
常見錯誤
2. the condition that a thing is in as a result of how well or how badly someone ha
the condition that a thing is in as a result of how well or how badly someone has looked after it; whether it appears clean, repaired, and well-maintained.
The old farmhouse was in surprisingly good keeping after twenty years of neglect.
in good keeping = well-maintained state
Sofia inspected the violin and found it in excellent keeping despite its age.
in excellent keeping = pristine condition
The garden was in poor keeping, with weeds covering most of the flower beds.
Ari noticed the antique clocks at the shop were all in fine keeping.
- condition
more everyday and far more common in this meaning
- state of repair
specific to physical objects; emphasises mechanical or structural soundness
文法句型
in good keeping
in poor keeping
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is the duty of caring; sense 2 is the resulting state. Almost always paired with an evaluating adjective like 'good', 'poor', 'fine', or 'excellent'.
常見錯誤
3. the quality of matching or fitting well with something — for example, a quiet ja
the quality of matching or fitting well with something — for example, a quiet jazz playlist suiting a candlelit dinner, or a casual outfit suiting a beach picnic.
The modern glass extension was not in keeping with the rest of the old stone house.
in keeping with = matches the style of
Nadia chose a simple ceremony in keeping with her grandmother's quiet personality.
in keeping with someone's character
Vikram's angry outburst at the meeting felt completely out of keeping with his usual calm.
The bright pink curtains seemed out of keeping with the minimalist living room.
Sade's promotion to head chef was in keeping with her decade of hard work.
- harmony
more abstract; often used of relationships or principles rather than appearance
- accord
formal; common in 'in accord with' phrasing similar in meaning
- consistent
adjective; 'consistent with' is the closest everyday equivalent
- at odds with
clashing or contradicting rather than merely mismatched
文法句型
in keeping with [something]
out of keeping with [something]
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in the fixed phrases 'in keeping with' and 'out of keeping with'. Subject is typically an action, choice, object, or style; complement is the standard, expectation, or context it does or does not match.