Definition

Verb phrase: 1. To deliberately avoid social contact; to be solitary or unsociable: To choose not to interact with other people and to spend time alone. 2. To refrain from sharing or disclosing (information, thoughts, etc.): To withhold knowledge or a secret; to not tell others.

Usage and Examples

• Meaning 1 (To be unsociable):

  • After moving to the new town, he tended to keep to himself and rarely attended community events.
  • She's a quiet person who prefers to keep to herself during lunch breaks.

• Meaning 2 (To withhold information):

  • If you have an opinion, please share it. Don't keep it to yourself.
  • He kept the news to himself for a few days before telling the family.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The phrase can describe a general personality trait (a person who ) or a specific, temporary action ().
• It often carries a neutral or slightly negative connotation when describing social behavior, implying isolation or a lack of openness.
• When referring to information, it can be a positive act (keeping a secret) or a negative one (withholding important news).

Variants and Related Words

• Keep oneself to oneself: This is a more emphatic or formal British English variant with the same meaning as social reclusiveness.
  • The old man in the cottage keeps himself to himself.

Synonyms

• For social meaning: Withdraw, isolate oneself, be a loner, be introverted.
• For information meaning: Withhold, conceal, not disclose, keep secret.

Related Phrasal Verbs / Constructions

• Keep (something) from (someone): To deliberately not tell someone something.
  • She kept the truth from her parents.
• Bottle up: To refuse to express or talk about one's feelings (similar to the second meaning, but specifically for emotions).
  • Don't bottle up your anger; talk about it.

Related Idioms

• Keep one's own counsel: To keep one's thoughts, plans, or opinions secret. This is a more formal idiom closely related to the second meaning.
  • On the matter, the CEO kept her own counsel.
• Be a closed book: To be a person who is difficult to know or understand because they do not talk about themselves.
  • He's very a closed book; he really keeps to himself.

Verb

1. withhold information
   • I kept your little secret to myself all these years
2. shun the company of others
   • The new student keeps to herself