kept
v.to continue doing something or to stay in a specific state. It is the past form of 'keep' and also describes holding onto something for a long time.
v.the past tense and past participle of 'keep', signifying the continuation of a state, the retention of an object, or the fulfillment of a promise.
“She kept the old letters in a wooden box.”
“The hikers kept walking despite the heavy rain because they needed to reach the camp before dark.”
“Although the original contract was lost, both parties kept to the spirit of the agreement for the duration of the partnership.”
Often functions as a catenative verb followed by a gerund to indicate repeated or continuous action.
When used to mean 'continue', this verb is followed by the -ing form, not the infinitive.
Usage kept pace · kept her home
From Middle English kept, kepte, from Old English cēpte; see -t.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.