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keep tabs on. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
keep tabs on, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
keep tabs on in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
keep tabs on you have here. The definition of the word
keep tabs on will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
keep tabs on, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
See tab (“tablet or slate used for keeping a record of accounts”).
Pronunciation
Verb
keep tabs on (third-person singular simple present keeps tabs on, present participle keeping tabs on, simple past and past participle kept tabs on)
- (idiomatic) To monitor; to keep track of; to watch.
- If you are careful to keep tabs on your finances, you should be able to stay within a budget.
- The police kept close tabs on him during the holidays.
1910, Stewart Edward White, chapter 85, in The Rules of the Game:He might have spent the hours camped under the trees of the more remote meadow, whence in the brilliant moonlight he could keep tabs on the trails.
1919, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 16, in Rainbow Valley:I'll catch him—I'll trip him up—I'll keep tabs on his arguments.
2023 May 18, Christopher Clarey, “Even as He’s Out, Rafael Nadal Will Always Be a Part of the French Open”, in The New York Times:Nadal, absent from the draw for the first time nearly two decades, said he won’t watch it all from afar, but he will be keeping tabs.
Usage notes