Kept is the past tense of the verb keep, which means to continue having something or to maintain it in a particular state or place. When you kept your room clean last week, you maintained it in an organized condition. When you kept a promise, you followed through on what you said you would do. When your family kept a pet hamster for three years, they continued to care for it over that time.

The word appears in many common phrases. If you kept track of your baseball cards, you paid attention to where they were and how many you had. If you kept quiet during a fire drill, you stayed silent. If you kept going even when a puzzle got difficult, you persevered instead of giving up.

Kept can also be an adjective describing something that's maintained or preserved. A well-kept garden looks neat and healthy because someone tends it regularly. A carefully kept secret is one that someone has successfully hidden from others.