What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Have vs Keep - What's the difference?

have | keep |

As verbs the difference between have and keep

is that have is to possess, own, hold while keep is to maintain possession of.

As a noun keep is

(obsolete) care, notice.

have

English

Verb

: Additional archaic forms are second-person singular present tense hast 'and second-person singular past tense''' hadst''' or ' haddest .
  • To possess, own, hold.
  • I have a house and a car.
    Look what I have here — a frog I found on the street!
  • To be related in some way to (with the object identifying the relationship).
  • I have two sisters.
    The dog down the street has a lax owner.
  • To partake of a particular substance (especially a food or drink) or action.
  • I have breakfast at six o'clock.
    Can I have a look at that?
    I'm going to have some pizza and a beer right now.
  • Used in forming the and the past perfect aspect.
  • I have already eaten today.
    I had already eaten.
  • must.
  • I have to go.
    Note: there's a separate entry for have to .
  • To give birth to.
  • The couple always wanted to have children.
    My wife is having the baby right now!
  • To engage in sexual intercourse with.
  • He's always bragging about how many women he's had .
  • To accept as a romantic partner.
  • Despite my protestations of love, she would not have me.
  • (transitive with bare infinitive ) To cause to, by a command or request.
  • They had me feed their dog while they were out of town.
  • (transitive with adjective or adjective-phrase complement ) To cause to be.
  • He had him arrested for trespassing.
    The lecture's ending had the entire audience in tears.
  • (transitive with bare infinitive ) To be affected by an occurrence. (Used in supplying a topic that is not a verb argument.)
  • The hospital had several patients contract pneumonia last week.
    I've had three people today tell me my hair looks nice.
  • (transitive with adjective or adjective-phrase complement ) To depict as being.
  • Their stories differed; he said he'd been at work when the incident occurred, but her statement had him at home that entire evening.
    Anton Rogan, 8, was one of the runners-up in the Tick Tock Box short story competition, not Anton Rogers as we had it.'' — ''The Guardian .
  • Used as interrogative auxiliary verb with a following pronoun to form tag questions. (For further discussion, see "Usage notes" below)
  • We haven't eaten dinner yet, have we ?
    Your wife hasn't been reading that nonsense, has she ?
    (UK usage) He has some money, hasn't he ?
  • (British, slang) To defeat in a fight; take.
  • I could have him!
    I'm gonna have you!
  • (Irish) To be able to speak a language.
  • I have no German .
  • To feel or be (especially painfully) aware of.
  • Dan certainly has arms today, probably from scraping paint off four columns the day before.
  • To be afflicted with, to suffer from, to experience something negative
  • He had a cold last week.
    We had a hard year last year, with the locust swarms and all that.
  • To trick, to deceive
  • You had me alright! I never would have thought that was just a joke.
  • (often with present participle) To allow
  • * 1922 , (Virginia Woolf), (w, Jacob's Room) Chapter 2
  • "You're a very naughty boy. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. I won't have you chasing the geese!"

    Usage notes

    Interrogative auxiliary verb have ...?' (''third-person singular'' '''has ...?''', ''third-person singular negative'' '''hasn't ...?''' ''or'' '''has ... not?''', ''negative for all other persons, singular and plural'' '''haven't ...?''' ''or'' '''have ... not? ); ''in each case, the ellipsis stands for a pronoun * Used with a following pronoun to form tag questions after statements that use "have" to form the perfect tense or (in UK usage) that use "have" in the present tense. *: We haven't eaten dinner yet, have we ? *: Your wife hasn't been reading that nonsense, has she ? *: I'd bet that student hasn't studied yet, have they ? *: You've known all along, haven't you ? *: The sun has already set, has it not ? *: (UK usage'') He has some money, hasn't he ? (''see usage notes below ) * This construction forms a tag that converts a present perfect tense sentence into a question. The tag always uses an object pronoun substituting for the subject. Negative sentences use has'' or ''have'', distinguished by number. Affirmative sentences use the same followed by ''not'', or alternatively, more commonly, and less formally, ''hasn't'' or ''haven't . (See ). * In American usage, this construction does not apply to present tense sentences with has'' or ''have , or their negations, as a verb; it does not apply either to the construction "have got". In those cases, use "does" or its negation instead. For example: "He has some money, doesn't he?" and "I have got enough time, don't I?" These constructions with "do", "does", "don't" or "doesn't" are considered incorrect in UK usage.

    Derived terms

    * -'ve * be had * have a ball * have a cow * have at you * have it in for * have it off * have had enough * have had it * have nots * have someone on * have to * haves

    See also

    * auxiliary verb * past tense * perfect tense

    References

    keep

    English

    Verb

  • To continue in (a course or mode of action); not to intermit or fall from; to maintain.
  • :
  • *(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • *:Both day and night did we keep company.
  • *(Tobias Smollett) (1721–1771)
  • *:within the portal as I kept my watch
  • To hold the status of something.
  • #To maintain possession of.
  • #:
  • #To maintain the condition of.
  • #:
  • #:
  • #*
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=10 , passage=Mr. Cooke had had a sloop?yacht built at Far Harbor, the completion of which had been delayed, and which was but just delivered.
  • #*{{quote-book, year=1935, author= George Goodchild
  • , title=Death on the Centre Court, chapter=1 , passage=She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill.}}
  • #(lb) To record transactions, accounts, or events in.
  • #:
  • #(lb) To enter (accounts, records, etc.) in a book.
  • #(label) To remain in, to be confined to.
  • #*1605 , (William Shakespeare), (King Lear) , III.ii,
  • #*:The wrathful skies / Gallow the very wanderers of the dark / And make them keep their caves.
  • #To restrain.
  • #:
  • # To watch over, look after, guard, protect.
  • #:
  • #*1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , II.viii:
  • #*:cursse on thy cruell hond, / That twise hath sped; yet shall it not thee keepe / From the third brunt of this my fatall brond.
  • #To supply with necessities and financially support a person.
  • #:
  • #(lb) To raise; to care for.
  • #:
  • #*1914 , Robert Joos, Success with Hens , Forbes & company, p.217:
  • #*:Of course boys are boys and need watching, but there is little watching necessary when they keep chickens.
  • #*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 14, author=Steven Morris, work=(The Guardian), title= Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave
  • , passage=Jailing her on Wednesday, magistrate Liz Clyne told Robins: "You have shown little remorse either for the death of the kitten or the trauma to your former friend Sarah Knutton." She was also banned from keeping animals for 10 years.}}
  • #To maintain (an establishment or institution); to conduct; to manage.
  • #*(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • #*:like a pedant that keeps a school
  • #*Sir (c.1564-1627)
  • #*:They were honourably brought to London, where every one of them kept house by himself.
  • #*
  • #*:At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors.In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.
  • #To have habitually in stock for sale.
  • To hold or be held in a state.
  • #(lb) To reside for a time; to lodge; to dwell.
  • #:
  • #*(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • #*:Knock at his study, where, they say, he keeps .
  • #To continue.
  • #:
  • #*, chapter=22
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part.
  • #*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
  • , volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Our banks are out of control , passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic
  • #To remain edible or otherwise usable.
  • #:
  • #:
  • #*1707 , John Mortimer], ''[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=8xUAAAAAQAAJ&redir_esc=y The Whole Art of Husbandry
  • #*:If the malt be not thoroughly dried, the ale it makes will not keep .
  • #(lb) To remain in a state.
  • #:
  • #:
  • (lb) To wait for, keep watch for.
  • *:
  • *:And thenne whan the damoysel knewe certaynly that he was not syre launcelot / thenne she took her leue and departed from hym / And thenne syre Trystram rode pryuely vnto the posterne where kepte hym la beale Isoud / and there she made hym good chere and thanked god of his good spede
  • To act as wicket-keeper.
  • :
  • To take care; to be solicitous; to watch.
  • *(William Tyndale) (1494-1536)
  • *:Keep that the lusts choke not the word of God that is in us.
  • To be in session; to take place.
  • :
  • (lb) To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; not to swerve from or violate.
  • *Bible, iv. 7
  • *:I have kept the faith.
  • *(John Milton) (1608-1674)
  • *:Him whom to love is to obey, and keep / His great command.
  • To confine oneself to; not to quit; to remain in.
  • :
  • To visit (a place) often; to frequent.
  • * (1579-1625)
  • *:'Tis hallowed ground; / Fairies, and fawns, and satyrs do it keep .
  • Synonyms

    * (maintain possession of) retain * (maintain the condition of) preserve, protect

    Derived terms

    (keep) * keep-away * keep around * keep at * keep away * keep back * keep down * keep faith * keep fit * keep from * keep going * keep in mind * keep it down * keep it on the barber pole * keep it real * keep it up * keep mum * keep off * keep on * keep on truckin' * keep one's cards close to one's chest * keep one's cool * keep one's eye on the ball * keep one's eyes peeled * keep one's head * keep one's head above water * keep one's lips sealed * keep one's peace * keep one on one's toes * keep oneself to oneself * keep out * keep out of * keep quiet * keep shtum * keep somebody in stitches * keep somebody posted * keep someone in the loop * keep straight * keep tabs on * keep the peace * keep the wolf from the door * keep track * keep up * keep up with * keep wicket * keep with * keep your pecker up * keep one's hair on * keep one's shirt on * keepalive * keepie-uppie/keepy-uppy * keepnet * keepsake

    Noun

    (wikipedia keep) (en noun)
  • (obsolete) Care, notice
  • *:
  • *:So Sir Gareth strayned hym so that his olde wounde braste ayen on bledynge; but he was hote and corragyous and toke no kepe , but with his grete forse he strake downe the knyght.
  • (historical) The main tower of a castle or fortress, located within the castle walls. (According to , the word comes "from the Middle English term kype , meaning basket or cask, and was a term applied to the shell keep at Guînes, said to resemble a barrel".)
  • The food or money required to keep someone alive and healthy; one's support, maintenance.
  • :He works as a cobbler's apprentice for his keep .
  • The act or office of keeping; custody; guard; care; heed; charge.
  • *Spenser
  • *:Pan, thou god of shepherds all, / Which of our tender lambkins takest keep .
  • The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case.
  • :to be in good keep
  • (obsolete) That which is kept in charge; a charge.
  • *Spenser
  • *:Often he used of his keep / A sacrifice to bring.
  • (engineering) A cap for holding something, such as a journal box, in place.
  • Derived terms

    * earn one's keep

    See also

    * donjon

    Statistics

    *