keeper

UK: /ˈkiːpə^r/ US: /ˈkipɚ/ ,(kē′pər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

keep•er /ˈkipɚ/   n. [countable]

1. a person who guards or watches, as a prison warden.
2. a person who owns or operates a business, or one who is responsible for the maintenance of something:
   hotelkeeper; zookeeper.
3. a person responsible for the preservation and conservation of something valuable, as a curator at a museum.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

keep•er  (kē′pər), n. 

1. a person who guards or watches, as at a prison or gate.
2. a person who assumes responsibility for another's behavior:
   He refused to be his brother's keeper.
3. a person who owns or operates a business (usually used in combination):
   a hotelkeeper.
4. a person who is responsible for the maintenance of something (often used in combination):
   a zookeeper; a groundskeeper.
5. a person charged with responsibility for the preservation and conservation of something valuable, as a curator or game warden.
6. a person who conforms to or abides by a requirement:
   a keeper of his word.
7. a fish that is of sufficient size to be caught and retained without violating the law.
8. Sport [Football.] a play in which the quarterback retains the ball and runs with it, usually after faking a hand-off or pass.
9. something that serves to hold in place, retain, etc., as on a door lock.
10. something that lasts well, as a fruit.
11. See guard ring. 
12. Electricity an iron or steel bar placed across the poles of a permanent horseshoe magnet for preserving the strength of the magnet during storage.

• Middle English keper. See keep, -er¹ 1250–1300

keep′er•less, adj. 
keep′er•ship′, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. warden, jailer.
• 2. custodian, guardian.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

keeper / ˈkiːpə/ noun

1. a person in charge of animals, esp in a zoo
2. a person in charge of a museum, collection, or section of a museum
3. a person in charge of other people, such as a warder in a jail
4. See goalkeeper, wicketkeeper, gamekeeper
5. a person who keeps something
6. a soft iron or steel bar placed across the poles of a permanent magnet to close the magnetic circuit when it is not in use