ENGLISH
REFERENCE

keep down

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to stop something from increasing, or to keep a noise at a low level.

phr. v.. to maintain something at a low level or to prevent an increase in size, number, or intensity; often used transitively with objects like 'prices', 'costs', or 'noise'.


SIMPLE

Please keep the noise down while the baby is sleeping.

CONTEXTUAL

The government is trying to keep down inflation to help families with their monthly bills.

COMPLEX

Despite the surge in demand for raw materials, the manufacturer managed to keep down production costs through aggressive automation.

Particles
down
Separability
optional
Pattern
keep + (object) + down
Usage

often used with 'noise' or 'voice' in a command, or with economic terms like 'prices'.

Teaching tip

this phrasal verb has several distinct senses; focus on the 'control/limit' sense first before introducing the physical sense of not vomiting food.

Pitfall

Keep down the noise!Keep the noise down!while both are grammatically possible, placing the object between the verb and particle is much more common for sounds.

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