keep a low profile
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To avoid drawing attention to oneself
Literally: remain unobtrusive
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Appointed in 1987, Webster ensured that the CIA kept a relatively low profile and thereby achieved some success in rehabilitating the tarnished image of the agency in the aftermath of the Iran - contra scandal.
No one would blame you if you wanted to keep a low profile.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “keep a low profile” mean?
To avoid drawing attention to oneself Literally: remain unobtrusive
Is “keep a low profile” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.