keep it real

English

Etymology

Compound of keep +‎ it +‎ real.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkiːp ɪt ˈɹiːl/
• Hyphenation: keep‧it‧real

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

keep it real (third-person singular simple present keeps it real, present participle keeping it real, simple past and past participle kept it real)

1. (originally African-American Vernacular) To perform an individual’s experience of being black in the United States.
2. (originally African-American Vernacular, colloquial) To be authentic, to be true to oneself; to be cool.

   You can trust Pablo. He always keeps it real.

3. (idiomatic, colloquial) In the imperative, an exhortation used as a departing salutation.

   A: I'm out, bro. B: Keep it real, son.

Synonyms

• keep it one hundred

Translations

to be authentic

• Jamaican Creole: (be) heartical, (be) hortical

departing salutation

• Jamaican Creole: nuh seh nuttn