keep a secret — not tell
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to not tell anyone information that someone has asked you to keep private.
Say it like a native
Textbook I shall maintain the confidentiality of this information.
Native I'll keep it a secret. / I won't tell anyone.
'Keep a secret' is natural; 'maintain confidentiality of information' is corporate.
Pattern: keep a/the/my/your secret
In use
- Can you keep a secret? I have something important to tell you.daily life
- If a friend trusts me, I always try to keep their secrets because I think honesty and trust are important in relationships.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Can you hold a secret?
✓ Can you keep a secret?
You KEEP a secret — not 'hold' one.
Common collocations
keep a secret— keep, tell, a big, between us
Don't confuse it
Do not confuse with 'tell a secret,' which means to share private information.