keep one's mouth shut
To keep a secret; to refrain from speaking indiscreetly or carelessly; broadly, to…To keep a secret; to refrain from speaking indiscreetly or carelessly; broadly, to refrain from speaking altogether.
» Keep your mouth shut.
Halt den Mund! — Dejo
Schweig still! — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Молчи! — Arkadeko
Тримай рот на замку. — deniko
Тримайте рот на замку. — deniko
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To keep a secret; to refrain from speaking indiscreetly or carelessly; broadly, to refrain from speaking altogether.
Near-synonym: keep it in the family
держа́ть язы́к за зуба́миderžátʹ jazýk za zubámi
- refrain from divulging sensitive information; keep quiet about confidential information
Examples
121 sentencesKeep your mouth shut.
Тримай рот на замку. — deniko
ruМолчи! — Arkadeko
deHalt den Mund! — Dejo
You should keep your mouth shut.
Tom can't keep his mouth shut.
deTom kann nicht den Mund halten. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
I just kept my mouth shut.
ruЯ просто держал рот на замке. — odexed
Tom should keep his mouth shut.
ruТому надо бы держать язык за зубами. — marafon
Translations
3 languagesBy meaning 1
Forms
keeps one's mouth shut, keeping one's mouth shut, kept one's mouth shut, kept one's mouth shut| Base form | keep one's mouth shut · to keep one's mouth shut |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | keeps one's mouth shut |
| Present participle | keeping one's mouth shut |
| Past simple | kept one's mouth shut |
| Past participle | kept one's mouth shut |
irregular · Lesson
Present simpleLesson
| I, you, we, they | keep one's mouth shut |
| he, she, it | keeps one's mouth shut |
Past simpleLesson
| all persons | kept one's mouth shut |
Present perfectLesson
| I, you, we, they | have kept one's mouth shut |
| he, she, it | has kept one's mouth shut |
Future simple (will)Lesson
| all persons | will keep one's mouth shut |
Synonyms
9 synonyms- refrain from divulging sensitive information; keep quiet about confidential information:keep quietshut one's mouth
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle