Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

keep off the streets

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.60 in modern English

Syllables: keep- of-f the streets
IPA

32

Scrabble Score

17

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To inspire or cause (someone) to avoid idleness, unemployment, poverty, or antisocial behavior.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

""Dolly Nemeroff said you're a private detective in California." […] "It's an archaic line of work, but it keeps me off the streets.""
"The Prague-born Jelinek, 32, arrived in Toronto this month to become a principal with the National Ballet of Canada. […] But he'd never have reached this point if his single mom, who died when he was 17, hadn't put him in ballet school to keep him off the streets."
""The kids love it because they love computers," said Ms. Hanson, "and I love it because it helps them with their education while keeping them off the streets.""
"And back then, our parents knew that if they loved and encouraged us, if they kept us off the streets and out of trouble, then we'd be okay."

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

keeps off the streets (present, singular) keeping off the streets (participle, present) kept off the streets (participle, past) kept off the streets (past) keep off the street (alternative)

Questions

What does keep off the streets mean?: To inspire or cause (someone) to avoid idleness, unemployment, poverty, or antisocial behavior.

How to pronounce keep off the streets

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “keep off the streets”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “keep off the streets”.
Repeat and practice — Say “keep off the streets” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.