A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

keep someone away from something • keep
 someone out of something
keep someone away from something —
1
. cause a person not to
come near smth.: The police used tear gas to keep the crowd
away from the factory compound. 2. cause a person to avoid
smth. harmful: I would never have imagined it would be so
hard to keep her away from sweets. 3. cause a person to stay
away from trouble or smth. dangerous: Parents play a crucial
role in ensuring that teens are participating in activities that
keep them away from drugs.
Note: 
The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with
the phrase keep someone back from something— = keep some-
one away from something 
1
: We had a good view of the security
staff struggling to keep the crowd back from the stage.
keep someone out of something —
1
. cause a person not to enter
smth.: Keeping him out of the building is the most reliable
way of keeping him away from the data. 2. prevent a person
from participating in smth.: Gilhooley has been a victim of
serious injuries which have kept him out of the game. 3. =
– 205 –
keep someone away from something

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keep someone away from something 3: We have worked to sup-
port your preventive programs that keep children out of drugs
and violence.
keep someone down • keep someone under
keep someone down —
1
. (also: hold someone down) cause a
person to remain in a lower position: John tried to look in
that direction but a crisscrossing hail of laser fire kept him
down. 2. (also: hold someone down) oppress or hold back a per-
son: He told me that “every company” he had worked for had
incompetent management and was trying to keep him down.
3. (UK) make a child remain in the same class for a second
year: If she failed her examinations again, Jane would be kept
down next year.
keep someone under —
1
. cause a person to remain beneath
smth.: I was filming when I went over the falls and the white
water kept me under nearly all the way to the beach. 2. = keep
someone down 2: Everywhere you heard the leaders saying, “It
is going to be very difficult to keep the people under.” 3. make
a person remain unconscious (under the action of anesthesia):
He is under more sedation…. They will keep him under until
at least late tomorrow.
See also: hold someone up / keep someone up.