Words / B2

KEEP-uh/ˈkiːpə/

A keeper is a person who looks after a place, animals, or a goal: zookeeper; wicket-keeper; goalkeeper. Guardian and custodian are close twins; keeper can also mean something worth keeping (informal). Name the wicket-keeper in the match report, or the zookeeper in the conservation case. Mix-up: keeper vs kipper; keep. Do not write keeper for a one-off volunteer with no role in the source.

Meaning

A person who looks after a place, animals, or a goal (goalkeeper; wicket-keeper; zookeeper).

Examples

• “Name the wicket-keeper in the match report, or the zookeeper in the conservation case — specify.”
• “The lighthouse keeper featured in the local-history source, which is the place-guardian sense.”

Good to know

zoo / wicket / goal keeper; a keeper. Close: guardian / custodian. Trap: kipper. Sport, biology, and history. Someone who looks after a place, animals, or a goal — name the job.

Near in meaning

guardian, custodian, warden

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