keep time

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keep time

Where it comes from

From Middle English time kepen, kepen time, etc.

verb keeps time · keeping time · kept time

To measure time.
To indicate the time correctly (of a timepiece). How well does this old watch keep time?
Opposite: lose time
To make any regular rhythmical movements at the same time with others. He couldn't carry a tune in a wheelbarrow, but he keeps time like a damn machine.
To control the beat or rhythm of a song played by a music group. Isn't one of the conductor's main jobs to keep time?
To maintain a schedule set out in a timetable. (e.g. of a train) We never had a chance even to attempt to keep time. An empty stock train from Stewarts Lane was given the road just ahead of us, and from Grosvenor Bridge to Herne Hill we had the signals against us all the way.
Opposite: lose time

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MLA

"keep time." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/keep%20time. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

keep time. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/keep%20time

Chicago

"keep time." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/keep%20time.

BibTeX

@misc{keep_time_2026,
  title = {keep time},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/keep%20time},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}