to keep one's countenance
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To refrain from smiling or expressing one's thoughts by the face.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to keep one's countenance” mean?
To refrain from smiling or expressing one's thoughts by the face.
Is “to keep one's countenance” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.