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keep from

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keep from something

to avoid doing something; to refrain from doing something. How could I keep from crying? It was so sad! Try to keep from falling off the ladder.

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keep someone from someone or something

to hold someone away from someone or something; to prevent someone from getting at someone or something. You must keep the child from her mother until the mother is infection-free. It is hard to keep a child from the playground, even a sick child. I could hardly keep myself from the dessert table.

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keep something from someone

not to tell something to someone. Why did you keep the news from me? I needed to know. This matter shouldn't have been kept from me.

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keep (you) from doing something

to prevent you from doing something We couldn't keep ourselves from laughing. Even the mounting phone bills didn't keep him from calling her twice a day.

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keep something from you

to prevent you from learning about something He's seriously ill, and I don't think it's right to keep it from the children.

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keep from

1. Withhold; also, prevent. For example, What information are you keeping from me? or Please keep your dog from running through our garden. [c. 1340]

2. Restrain oneself, hold oneself back, as in I can hardly keep from laughing. [c. 1340]

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keep from

v.

1. To prevent someone or something from doing something: The tape is there to keep the pages from falling apart. This constant noise is keeping me from my work.

2. To refrain from doing something: I couldn't keep from having a little snack before dinner.

3. To prevent some information from becoming known by someone or something: They kept the news of the accident from the newspapers.

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