keep quiet

1. Also, be quiet or still . Remain silent; same as hold one's tongue . For example, Please keep quiet about the party . Also see keep one's mouth shut .

2. Refrain from moving, stay in the same position; same as hold still . For example, The doctor gave the young boy a toy to keep him quiet while on the examining table , or It's hard for the baby to keep still unless he's sleeping . [Late 1300s]

Idioms and Phrases

Also, keep still .

Example Sentences

When one of his employees assumed he was voting for Trump again, Spilsbury knew he didn’t want to keep quiet.

From Los Angeles Times

“If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet,” said Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who is currently leading an interim administration after Hasina’s exit.

From BBC

“That’s not something we’re … trying to keep quiet.”

From Los Angeles Times

This is why Republicans want to keep quiet about their war on birth control access.

From Salon

She found out in June she'd be opening for Taylor but had to keep quiet about it until she was formally announced a couple of weeks ago.

From BBC

Related Words

• stash
• stow