K

Phrasal Verb	Definition	Example
keep * around	have handy, have accessible	I always keep a dictionary around to translate new words.
keep at +	not give up (an activity), to persevere	You should keep at your studies.
keep * away	prevent access to, hold back	Keep the kids away from the cookies.
keep * back	maintain a safe distance, cause to maintain a safe distance	Keep back! The burning building is about to collapse.
keep * down	not vomit, not throw up, keep in one's stomach	If I ate that, I down know if I could keep it down.
keep * in	keep in a particular place, have something in a specific location	When I am not using it, I keep my passport in this drawer.
keep * off	prevent from stepping or climbing on to something	Keep the cat off the couch.
keep on	continue	He kept on talking after everybody asked him to stop.
keep * out	prevent from entering	Keep the dog out of the garden; he keeps digging up the flowers.
keep * over	cover something with, put something above	I keep a tarp over my bicycle at night to prevent it from getting wet.
keep to +	continue, persist in (an activity)	Everybody said she would never finish the puzzle, but she kept to it until it was done.
keep up	stay on the required schedule	You have to keep up if you want to work here.
keep * up +	continue	You are doing a great job! Keep it up.
keep up with +	stay on schedule with (a person, the workload, homework)	I have so much reading that I can't keep up with the writing exercises.
kick back	sit or lie back (to relax)	After work, I like to kick back in front of the TV and relax.
kick in	begin taking effect	The medicine takes one hour to kick in.