keep quiet
idiom
1
: to not say anything or make any noise
He thought about telling the police what he knew, but he decided to keep quiet.
Please keep quiet during the movie.
2
: to not say anything about (something)
She kept her plans quiet.
3
: to prevent (someone or something) from making noise
She gave the dog a bone to keep him quiet.
4
: to prevent (someone) from revealing information about something
They paid money to the witness to keep him quiet.
Examples of keep quiet in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Teams won’t be able to officially announce any of their new signings until Wednesday, when the new league year begins, but news of big signings and moves is hard to keep quiet.
—
Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
So young animal researchers with misgivings are told to keep quiet.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025
Afterward, his employees paid off hotel workers to keep quiet, federal prosecutors said.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, my grandparents taught me to keep quiet.
—Aquilino Gonell, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for keep quiet
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Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
So young animal researchers with misgivings are told to keep quiet.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025
Afterward, his employees paid off hotel workers to keep quiet, federal prosecutors said.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, my grandparents taught me to keep quiet.
—Aquilino Gonell, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for keep quiet
Cite this Entry
“Keep quiet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep%20quiet. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
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