Keep off means not to walk or step on something (grass, ice, a freshly mopped floor), or to avoid something: sweets, alcohol, an awkward topic. The sign Keep off the grass means you must not walk on the lawn. In the second meaning people say keep off sugar or keep off politics.
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keep off + the grass/the ice; keep off + sugar/alcohol/a topic; keep + something + off + something
- The grass has just been planted, so please keep off it for a couple of weeks.
- I'm keeping off coffee this week because I've been sleeping badly.
- At family dinners we try to keep off politics, or someone always gets upset.
What changed
First versionMy doctor told me to keep off from sweets for a while.
RevisionMy doctor told me to keep off sweets for a while.
Because the idea is 'stay away from', many learners add from after keep off. But off already works as a preposition here, so a second one isn't needed: keep off sweets. If you want to use from, say stay away from sweets instead.
Keep off is used for a surface people step on: grass, ice, a floor. When the object comes between keep and off, the meaning changes to 'don't let something get onto something': Keep your dog off the sofa. For not going into a room, use keep out of: keep out of the kitchen.
Your turn
The lawn in front of the library has just been reseeded, so please ___ it until May.
Show the answer
keep off — A lawn is a surface people walk on, so keep off, as on the familiar sign Keep off the grass. Keep out of is used for rooms and closed areas that you go inside.
Write a short notice for your neighbours or colleagues. Say where people must not step and until what time.
The floor in the hall is still wet, so please keep off it until 3 p.m.
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