in or to or toward the rear; "he followed behind"; "seen from behind, the house is more imposing than it is from the front"; "the final runners were far behind"
remaining in a place or condition that has been left or departed from; "when he died he left much unfinished work behind"; "left a large family behind"; "the children left their books behind"; "he took off with a squeal of tires and left the other cars far behind"
in debt; "he fell behind with his mortgage payments"; "a month behind in the rent"; "a company that has been run behindhand for years"; "in arrears with their utility bills"
in or into an inferior position; "fell behind in his studies"; "their business was lagging behind in the competition for customers"
of timepieces; "the clock is almost an hour slow"; "my watch is running behind"
the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress
maintain by writing regular records; "keep a diary"; "maintain a record"; "keep notes"
hold and prevent from leaving; "The student was kept after school"
retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married"
look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; "He keeps the shop when I am gone"
maintain for use and service; "I keep a car in the countryside"; "She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips"
have as a supply; "I always keep batteries in the freezer"; "keep food for a week in the pantry"; "She keeps a sixpack and a week's worth of supplies in the refrigerator"
store or keep customarily; "Where do you keep your gardening tools?"
supply with room and board; "He is keeping three women in the guest cottage"; "keep boarders"
raise; "She keeps a few chickens in the yard"; "he keeps bees"
keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean"; "hold in place"; "She always held herself as a lady"; "The students keep me on my toes"
maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger; "May God keep you"
fail to spoil or rot; "These potatoes keep for a long time"