From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishkeep/hold somebody/something in checkkeep/hold somebody/something in checkkeep someone or something under control You must learn to keep your emotions in check. attempts to keep global warming in check He made an effort to hold himself in check. → check
Examples from the Corpus
keep/hold somebody/something in check• Mulch plants each spring with straw to conserve moisture and keep weeds in check.• But it was rookie Coach Ray Rhodes who gets the most credit for keeping the team in check.• His own temper rose, but he held it in check.• The disease is held in check by weekly injections of a power drug.• Churn makes it harder for charities to raise money, keeps real-estate prices in check and politics volatile.• In one important area the Navy held its ambitions in check for bargaining reasons within the Whitehall market-place.• The court heard that the general was unable to keep his troops in check.• A small bag of zeolite was used for three days, every two weeks to keep ammonia in check.• What is new is that the controls which held this population in check no longer exist. 