keep it down

Meaning

1. 1phraseidiominformal

   To make less noise, especially by speaking more quietly or lowering the volume of something.

   Grammar: Used without an object after 'it'; the verb changes with the subject: she keeps it down, they kept it down.

   Patterns

   • keep it down
   • keep it down, please
   • could you keep it down

   Could you keep it down? The baby has just fallen asleep.

   The neighbors asked us to keep it down after ten o'clock.

   If you boys don't keep it down, I'm turning off the music.

Word forms

Common combinations

please keep it down

Please keep it down; some of us are trying to study.

ask someone to keep it down

I had to ask the group at the next table to keep it down.

try to keep it down

We tried to keep it down while the guests slept upstairs.

keep it down a bit

Can you keep it down a bit? I'm on a call.

Synonyms and how they differ

quiet down

Quiet down describes people becoming calmer and less loud, while keep it down is usually an instruction to reduce the noise you are making.

pipe down

Pipe down is blunter and more irritated, so it can sound rude where keep it down sounds like a fairly polite request.

turn it down

Turn it down is about a device such as a radio or television, whereas keep it down can refer to voices too.

Opposites

Word family

keep down phrasal verb

to stop something from rising or growing, as in keep prices down

keep quiet phrase

to say nothing or make no sound

noise noun

unwanted or loud sound

Commonly confused: keep it down or keep down?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “keep it down”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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