keep time

idiom

1

of a watch or clock : to show the correct time

My watch keeps good/perfect time.

2

music : to perform music at the correct speed

Among other things, the conductor helps the orchestra keep time (to the music).

Examples of keep time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rubidium is found in the earth’s crust alongside lithium and is used in technologies such as atomic clocks, motion sensors, signal generators, and GPS equipment—technologies that all rely on the hyperfine transition of electrons in rubidium atoms to keep time. —IEEE Spectrum, 11 Feb. 2025

Do not do strenuous physical activity while outdoors and keep time outside short. —Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025

Culturally, humankind has the moon to thank for inspiring the birth of religions, helping civilizations keep time and tipping the outcomes of brutal wars. —Joe Spring, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2024

So, nuclear transitions could theoretically offer a much more exact way to keep time compared to the electron. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Rhymes for keep time

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime