keep back

to hide something.

• I will keep nothing back from you.
• She could not keep back a smile.
• He tried to keep back his tears.
• The child's face worked as she tried to keep back the tears.
• Why have you kept such an excellent wine back till now?
• It appeared that she was trying to keep back tears.
• He tried to keep the secret back from us.
• He kept back the part about himself.
• The misery was too much for the readers to keep back their tears.

to keep at a distance.

• The police warned us to keep back.
• The levee kept the floodwater back.
• A bank was built to keep back the water of the river.
• After the accident, the police told the crowd to keep back.