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keep tabs on

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keep tabs on somebody/something

to watch a person or a situation carefully Websites use software that keeps tabs on who visits the site. Once you buy a stock, you need to keep tabs on it.

See also: keep, on, tab

keep tabs on something/somebody

to watch a person or a situation carefully so that you always know what they are doing or what is happening I like to keep tabs on my bank balance so that I don't get overdrawn. I get the feeling he's keeping tabs on me and watching my every move.

See also: keep, on, tab

keep tabs on

Observe carefully, keep a record of. For example, I hate having my boss keep tabs on my every move, or We've got to keep tabs on outgoing mail so we can keep track of postage. This expression uses to tab in the sense of "an account." [Late 1800s] Also see keep track.

See also: keep, on, tab

keep tabs on

Informal

To observe carefully over time: Let's keep tabs on expenditures.

See also: keep, on, tab