Phrasal verb
keep down
Definition
phrasal verb. to stop something from increasing, or to keep a noise at a low level.
phrasal verb. 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'.
Examples
“Please keep the noise down while the baby is sleeping.”
“The government is trying to keep down inflation to help families with their monthly bills.”
“Despite the surge in demand for raw materials, the manufacturer managed to keep down production costs through aggressive automation.”
Examples
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.”
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.
Phrasal verb
Particles
down
Separability
optional
Pattern
keep + (object) + down