keep quiet

idiom

: to not say anything or make any noise

He thought about telling the police what he knew, but he decided to keep quiet.

Please keep quiet during the movie.

: to not say anything about (something)

She kept her plans quiet.

: to prevent (someone or something) from making noise

She gave the dog a bone to keep him quiet.

: to prevent (someone) from revealing information about something

They paid money to the witness to keep him quiet.

Examples of keep quiet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The police refuse to investigate and her own family would like her to keep quiet. —

Marta Balaga, Variety, 1 Sep. 2024 Lim, who oversees the university’s Title IX operations, refuted the lawsuit claims that the players were told to keep quiet or were threatened with discipline. —

Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 6 Oct. 2024 At the same time, environmental illness is a broad spectrum, and many keep quiet about their conditions. —

Evan Malmgren, Harper's Magazine, 21 Aug. 2024 The attorney told us to keep quiet about the drugs, don’t answer any questions other than the car theft, and if directly asked about the drugs, to refer the questions to him. —

R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for keep quiet