keep off

phrasal verb

kept off; keeping off; keeps off

1

: to stop or prevent (someone or something) from being on (something)

Keep off the grass.

Please keep the dog off the sofa.

2

keep (weight) off : to continue to weigh a lower amount than one formerly weighed : to not regain weight that one has lost

Losing weight is not as hard as keeping it off.

3

: to not talk about (something)

I think we'd better keep off the subject of the war.

4

: to prevent (someone) from talking about (something)

We tried to keep them off (the subject of) the war.

Examples of keep off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That way, you aren’t left with any pesky shells to dispose of (and honestly, try to corral and keep off the floor!). —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Dec. 2024

About 65 percent of respondents said that willpower alone typically isn't enough to lose and keep off weight. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

But the settlers succeeded in their apparent goal: The farmers of Deir Jarir were kept off their land and could not harvest their olives. —Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2024

Kennedy followed his request to be removed from Wisconsin's ballot with a similar effort to have his name kept off of Michigan's. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 29 Oct. 2024