Phrasal verb
keep away
Definition
phrasal verb. to stay at a distance from someone or something, or to make someone else stay at a distance.
phrasal verb. to maintain a physical or metaphorical distance from a person, place, or object; can be used intransitively or transitively.
Examples
“Please keep away from the edge of the cliff.”
“The signs warned visitors to keep away from the construction site for their own safety.”
“Despite the lure of high returns, cautious investors decided to keep away from the volatile cryptocurrency market during the recent crash.”
Examples
simple
“Please keep away from the edge of the cliff.”
contextual
“The signs warned visitors to keep away from the construction site for their own safety.”
complex
“Despite the lure of high returns, cautious investors decided to keep away from the volatile cryptocurrency market during the recent crash.”
Usage
often followed by the preposition 'from' when an object is specified.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'stay away', which is almost identical but 'keep away' often implies a more active effort to maintain the distance or prevent contact.
Pitfall
Keep away of the fire.
Keep away from the fire.
the correct preposition to use after 'keep away' is 'from', not 'of'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
away
Separability
optional
Pattern
keep (+ object) + away (+ from + object)
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/keep-away