phrasal verb · neutral
keep a lid on
UK/kiːp ə lɪd ɒn/US/kiːp ə lɪd ɑn/KEEP·a·LID·on
task2speaking
to control or limit something, especially to prevent it from increasing or becoming known
Examples
“The government tried to keep a lid on inflation.”
“They kept a lid on the scandal until the investigation finished.”
“Parents kept a lid on their children's excitement before the surprise.”
Band 8 sentence
“Governments often try to keep a lid on inflation through monetary policy.”
Collocations
- keep a lid on inflation
- keep a lid on spending
Word family
keep a lid on verbkeeps a lid on verbkept a lid on verbkeeping a lid on verb
Common mistakes
keep lid on prices→keep a lid on prices
keep a lid in prices→keep a lid on prices
Say it for a higher band
5control→6contain→7+keep a lid on
Synonyms
contain
suppress
Easily confused
keep down
“Strict rules helped keep costs down last year.”
Related words
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