keep in
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle in
Meanings
Force someone to stay indoors as punishment
Why “in”? Walls close around something. What is in is held inside.
“The teacher kept him in at break.”
“Dad kept us in for breaking the window.”
Don't confuse with
Keep in means force someone to stay indoors as punishment. Keep out means prevent someone or something from entering.
Test yourself
“The teacher kept him in at break.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
keep out
A contrast learners often mix up
Prevent someone or something from entering
bask in
Same in pattern: inside
Take great pleasure in attention, success or warmth
be in
Same in pattern: inside
Be present at home or at work
box in
Same in pattern: inside
Surround tightly with little room
breathe in
Same in pattern: inside
Inhale air
build in
Same in pattern: inside
Include something as a permanent part of a design
buy in
Same in pattern: inside
Purchase a stock of something for use later
chain in
Same in pattern: inside
Hold someone or something in place using chains
Practice “keep in” in Sink In
Drill this and 600+ phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by particle.