keeper

keep-er · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A person who looks after or is responsible for something or someone.

  2. 2.

    (Sports) Short for goalkeeper; the player who defends the goal in sports such as soccer or hockey.

  3. 3.

    (Informal) Something worth keeping; a person or thing that is good enough to keep or preserve.

  4. 4.

    A device or mechanism that holds something in place.

Forms

plural: keepers

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    finders keepers — The principle that whoever finds something can keep it
  • •
    am I my brother's keeper? — A rhetorical question implying one is not responsible for another person's actions
  • •
    gatekeeper — A person who controls access to something

Related words

See also: custodian, goalkeeper, guardian
Synonyms: caretaker, custodian, guardian

Etymology

From Middle English kepere, from kepen ("to keep") + -ere (agent suffix). Related to Old English cēpan ("to seize, hold, observe").