idiom · neutral
keep someone in the dark
UK/kiːp ˈsʌmwʌn ɪn ðə ˈdɑːk/US/kiːp ˈsʌmwʌn ɪn ðə ˈdɑrk/keep·SOME·one·in·the·DARK
to not tell someone about something important; to keep someone uninformed
Examples
“They kept me in the dark about the promotion until the announcement.”
“Please don't keep me in the dark — I'd like to know what's happening.”
“She felt frustrated because her team had been kept in the dark for weeks.”
Band 8 sentence
“Senior management were criticised for keeping employees in the dark during the restructure.”
Collocations
- keep someone in the dark about
- keep colleagues/customers in the dark
Word family
Common mistakes
keep someone in dark→keep someone in the dark
hide someone in the dark→keep someone in the dark
Say it for a higher band
5not tell someone→6withhold information→7+keep someone in the dark
Synonyms
withhold information
Easily confused
keep someone in the loop
“Make sure you keep me in the loop about any changes.”
Related words
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