Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Popular Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

keep tabs on

 - 7 dictionary results

tab

1  [tab] noun, verb, tabbed, tab⋅bing.
Use keep tabs on in a Sentence
–noun
1. a small flap, strap, loop, or similar appendage, as on a garment, used for pulling, hanging, or decoration.
2. a tag or label.
3. a small projection from a card, paper, or folder, used as an aid in filing.
4. Informal. a bill, as for a meal in a restaurant; check.
5. a small piece attached or intended to be attached, as to an automobile license plate.
6. a small flap or tongue of material used to seal or close the opening of a container.
7. Also called tabulator. a stop on a typewriter, actuated by a key, that moves the carriage, typing element, etc., a predetermined number of spaces, used for typing material in columns, for fixed indentations, etc.
8. a programmed command on a computer, actuated by a key, that moves the cursor or printhead a predetermined number of spaces, used for keying material in columns, for fixed indentations, etc.
9. Theater.
a. a small, often narrow, drop curtain, for masking part of the stage.
b. tableau curtain.
10. Aeronautics. a small airfoil hinged to the rear portion of a control surface, as to an elevator, aileron, or rudder. Compare trim tab.
–verb (used with object)
11. to furnish or ornament with a tab or tabs.
12. to name or designate.
–verb (used without object)
13. Also, tabulate. to operate the tab function on a typewriter or computer.
—Idiom
14. keep tabs or tab on, Informal. to keep an account of; check on; observe: The police kept tabs on the suspect's activities.
Origin:
1600–10; (in defs. 1–3, 5) < ?; (in defs. 7 and 8) short for tabulator; (in def. 9) short for tableau; (in defs. 4 and 14) partly from shortening of table, partly in sense of def. 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To keep tabs on
tab 2   (tāb)   
n.  

  1. Informal

    1. A bill or check, such as one for a meal in a restaurant.

    2. Cost; price: The tab for upgrading the computers would be high.

    3. A key on a computer keyboard that, when pressed, inserts a special ASCII character used for formatting text, as in indenting a line or block of text.

    4. This special ASCII character.

  2. A tabulator on a typewriter.

  3. Computer Science

    1. A key on a computer keyboard that, when pressed, inserts a special ASCII character used for formatting text, as in indenting a line or block of text.

    2. This special ASCII character.

intr.v.   tabbed, tab·bing, tabs
To press the tab on a typewriter or computer keyboard: Tab over to the next column.

[Short for tablet or tabulation. Sense 2, short for tabulator.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
tab

  1. n.
    a bill (for something). (From tabulation. See also chit.) : Marlowe paid the tab and left quietly.
  2. n.
    a tablet (of medicine). : Take a couple of aspirin tabs and call me in the morning.
  3. tv.
    to identify someone. : I couldn't quite tab her, but when she started talking I knew right away who she was.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

tab  (3)
1961, shortened form of tablet (esp. one of sugar containing LSD). As an abbreviation of tabloid (newspaper) it is 1990s slang. As a short form of tabulator key of a typewriter (later computer) it is recorded from 1916.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Financial Dictionary

TAB

See tax anticipation bill.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tab
Pronunciation: 'tab
Function: noun
: TABLET
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

keep tabs on

Observe carefully, keep a record of. For example, I hate having my boss keep tabs on my every move, or We've got to keep tabs on outgoing mail so we can keep track of postage. This expression uses to tab in the sense of "an account." [Late 1800s] Also see keep track.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see keep tabs on on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way