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in keeping with

in keeping with idiom

Conforming to, in harmony with, as in The new wing is in keeping with the house's original architecture, or His actions are not in keeping with his words. This expression uses keeping in the sense of “harmony,” as does its antonym, out of keeping with, as in The funeral arrangements were out of keeping with the family's wishes. [c. 1800] Also see in key; in line.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.