kept man or (fem) kept woman noun

A man or woman maintained financially by a romantic or sexual partner

for keeps

1. For good
2. Permanently
3. With serious intent

how are you keeping?

How are you?

in keeping with

In accord with, suitable to

keep an act

Formerly, to hold an academic debate

keep at

1. To persist in (anything)
2. To nag, badger (someone to do something) (informal)

keep a term see under term

keep back

1. To withhold
2. To keep down, repress

keep body and soul together

To stay alive

keep cave, company and counsel see under cave², etc.

keep down

1. To remain low or out of sight
2. To restrain, repress
3. To retain (food) in the stomach, not to vomit
4. To set in lower-case type, avoiding capitals

keep from

1. To abstain from
2. To remain away from

keep good hours see under hour

keep house see under house

keep in

1. To prevent from escaping
2. To confine in school after school hours
3. To conceal
4. To restrain

keep in with

To maintain the confidence or friendship of

keep off

1. To hinder or prevent from approaching or making an attack, etc
2. To stay away or refrain from
3. (of rain, etc) not to start

keep on

1. To continue
2. To retain, continue to employ

keep on about

To continue talking about

keep on at (informal)

To nag, badger

keep one's breath to cool one's porridge

To hold one's peace when further talk is clearly in vain

keep one's countenance

To avoid showing one's emotions

keep one's distance see under distance

keep (oneself) to oneself

To avoid the company of others

keep one's eye on see under eye¹

keep one's hand in

To retain one's skill by practice

keep one's head down

To avoid attracting attention to oneself

keep one's mind on

To concentrate on

keep one's powder dry see under powder

keep out

1. To remain outside
2. To exclude

keep someone going in something

To keep someone supplied with something

keep tabs on

To keep a check on, to keep account of

keep the peace see under peace

keep time

1. To observe rhythm accurately, or along with others
2. (of a clock or watch) to go accurately

keep to

1. To stick closely to
2. To confine oneself to

keep under

To hold down in restraint

keep up

1. To retain (one's strength or spirit)
2. To support, prevent from falling
3. To continue, to prevent from ceasing
4. To maintain in good condition
5. To continue to be in touch (with)
6. To keep pace (with)
7. To stop, stay (obsolete)

keep up with the Joneses

To keep on an equal social footing with one's neighbours, eg by having possessions of the same quality in the same quantity

keep wicket

To act as a wicketkeeper

woman /wŭmˈən/

noun (pl women /wimˈin/)

1. An adult female of the human race
2. A wife (now dialect)
3. A mistress or girlfriend
4. The female sex, women collectively
5. (with the) the natural urges specific to a woman
6. A man over-concerned with domestic niceties (derogatory)
7. A female attendant (historical or archaic)
8. A charwoman or daily domestic help (informal)
9. The reverse or Britannia side of a coin

combining form

Denoting a woman of a specified occupation, skill or nationality, as in policewoman, markswoman, Manxwoman

adjective

Female, as in woman doctor

transitive verb

1. To cause to act like a woman (obsolete)
2. (with it) to play the part of a woman
3. To provide or staff with a woman or women
4. To call a person ‘woman’ abusively

woˈman'd adjective (Shakespeare)

Accompanied by a woman

womˈanfully adverb

Like a woman of spirit

womˈanhood noun

1. The state, character or qualities of a woman
2. Womenkind

womˈanish adjective

1. (of a man, his behaviour or appearance) effeminate, unmanly
2. Associated with women, feminine

womˈanishly adverb

womˈanishness noun

womˈanism noun (US)

Feminism, esp when applied to African-American women

womˈanist noun and adjective

womˈanize or womˈanise transitive verb and intransitive verb

To make or become effeminate

intransitive verb (derogatory; of a man)

To pursue women with a view to having casual affairs

womˈanizer or womˈaniser noun

womˈankind noun

1. Women generally, the female sex (also womˈenkind)
2. A woman (obsolete)

womˈanless adjective

womˈanlike adjective and adverb

womˈanliness noun

womˈanly adjective

1. Like or becoming to a woman
2. Feminine

adverb

In the manner of a woman

womˈan-bodˈy noun (Scot)

A woman

womˈan-born adjective

Born of woman

womˈan-built adjective

Built by women

womˈan-child noun (pl womˈen-children)

A female child

womˈan-grown adjective

Grown to womanhood

womˈan-hater noun

A man who hates women, a misogynist

woman post noun (Shakespeare)

A female messenger

womˈan-quellˈer noun

A killer of women

womˈan-suffrage noun

Women's suffrage

womˈan-tired adjective (tire⁶; Shakespeare)

Hen-pecked

womˈan-vested adjective

Wearing women's clothes

womˈenfolk or womˈenfolks plural noun

1. The women of a household, family or other community or group
2. Women generally, womankind

Women's Institute noun

An organization for women esp of rural areas, with regular meetings for social and cultural activities, demonstrations of craftwork, etc

women's liberation noun

(also with caps) a movement of active feminists forming part of the women's movement (informal contraction women's lib)

women's liberationist noun (informal contraction women's libber)

women's movement noun

(also with caps) the movement amongst women to try to achieve equality with men, with regard to eg job opportunities, pay, legal status, etc

women's rights plural noun

Equal rights with men sought by women

women's studies singular noun

An area of academic study incorporating elements of history, literature, etc, focusing on the achievements and experiences of women

women's suffrage noun

Possession of the electoral franchise by women

womˈenswear noun

Clothes for women

kept woman

A mistress

play the woman

To give way to weakness

the little woman (facetious or patronizing)

One's wife

woman of letters

1. A scholar
2. A writer

woman of the town or streets

A prostitute

woman of the world

1. A woman of fashion or of worldly wisdom
2. A woman who knows and makes allowance for, or accepts, the ways of the world
3. A married woman (obsolete)

woman to woman

1. One woman to another as individuals in fight or talk
2. Frank and confidential

Women's Royal Voluntary Service

(from its formation in 1938 until 1966 the Women's Voluntary Service) a nationwide service assisting government departments, local authorities and other voluntary bodies in organizing and carrying out welfare and emergency work for the community