From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishkeep back phrasal verb1 TELL A SECRET keep something ↔ back to deliberately not tell someone all that you know about something I got the feeling he was keeping something back.2 keep something ↔ back to not show your feelings, even though you want to very much She was struggling to keep back the tears.3 keep somebody ↔ back to prevent someone from being as successful as they could be SYN hold back Fear and stereotypes have kept women back for centuries.4 keep something ↔ back especially British EnglishSAVE something TO USE LATER to not give or pay something that you were going to give They kept back some of his wages to pay for the damage. → keep→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
keep back• I got the feeling he was keeping something back.• A two, a failing grade, would mean being kept back a year, to study with smaller children.• The two were not separated until Dan was kept back at Groton so Harry could enter Harvard first.• Although most of the facts were published the government kept back certain details that might prove embarrassing.• Most farmers are able to keep back enough of their crop for their own use.• Keep a small amount of icing back for the other cake.• I must now confess something which I kept back from you earlier.• I try to explain this to Professor Sano, working hard to keep back the tears.keep back the tears• I try to explain this to Professor Sano, working hard to keep back the tears.• She sniffed, trying to keep back the tears. 