English UsageGrammar guide
Past Tense of Keep
“Keep” is an irregular verb: the simple past is “kept,” and the past participle is also “kept.” Use the same form in ordinary past clauses and after auxiliaries where a participle is required; “keeped” is not the standard inflected form.
The simple past of “keep” is “kept,” and the past participle is also “kept.”
Key details
Confusion Familyirregular verb forms
Rule Familyverb inflection
Termskeep, kept
Variant Scope“Keep” is irregular: its simple past and past participle are both “kept.”
Further guidance
Core difference
Simple past: “kept.” Past participle: “kept.”
Fast Test
Use “kept” both for a finished past event (“I kept it”) and after auxiliaries where the participle is required (“I have kept it”).
Usage Boundary
Do not regularize the verb as “keeped.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- keep — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Keep + -ing for continuing or repeatedly doing an activity