Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

keep the rent down

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.53 in modern English

Syllables
keep- the ren-t -down
IPA
28
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To deter undesirables from a space, especially through intentionally off-putting behavior.

Slang

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see keep, the, rent, down.

Etymology

An ellipsis of longer phrases such as "firing gunshots to keep the rent down" or "keeping the rent down in the neighborhood," referring to an alleged method for preventing gentrification.

Usage

Inflected Forms

keeps the rent down (present, singular) keeping the rent down (participle, present) kept the rent down (participle, past) kept the rent down (past)

Frequently Paired Words

gatekeep

Questions

What does keep the rent down mean?
To deter undesirables from a space, especially through intentionally off-putting behavior.
Where does keep the rent down come from?
An ellipsis of longer phrases such as "firing gunshots to keep the rent down" or "keeping the rent down in the neighborhood," referring to an alleged method for preventing gentrification.

How to pronounce keep the rent down

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