keep one's head

keep one's head

English

Alternative forms

• keep one's head on one's shoulders

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Verb

keep one's head (third-person singular simple present keeps one's head, present participle keeping one's head, simple past and past participle kept one's head)

1. (idiomatic) To remain calm, reasonable, level-headed, especially in a situation likely to cause distress.
   • 1895, Rudyard Kipling, “If—”:

     If you can keep your head when all about you

     Are losing theirs and blaming it on you . . .

   • 1910, John Buchan, Prester John, ch. 16:

     The ruffian kept his head, and though the dog's teeth were in his shoulder, he managed to get his right hand free.

   • 2008, "Mother Throws 7 Kids Out Window To Save Them From Fire," CityNews (Canada), 7 March (retrieved 12 Dec. 2009):

     Officials are calling the woman a hero for keeping her head and finding the only way out amid the panic of the smoke and flames.

Antonyms

• lose one's head; panic

See also

• keep one's head above water