keep quiet

phrase

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the crux of their call for dismissal was that Kuznietsov had to keep quiet as a Ukrainian officer. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Racketeers blackmailed companies and executives, threatened to disrupt shareholder meetings, or intimidated other shareholders to keep quiet. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 But off camera, a scandal was growing, and on March 19, 1987, Jim Bakker resigned from PTL after paying a secretary, Jessica Hahn, to keep quiet about his affair with her. — Ronnie Glassberg, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026 This was a huge thing because Indian actors and celebrities are famously known to keep quiet and be very pro-Modi and pro-government, but a lot of them broke grounds. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for keep quiet

Rhymes for keep quiet

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Browse Nearby Words

keep purdah
keep quiet
keep quiet about
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Keep quiet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep%20quiet. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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