keep tabs on
Watch over carefully
To keep tabs on something or someone is to monitor or track closely: The doctor asked her to keep tabs on her blood pressure.
The phrase suggests ongoing surveillance or attention, often with a hint of watchfulness or suspicion: He keeps tabs on his ex through social media.
A tab is a small flap or marker—the idiom evokes checking labels on a filing system.
- followGo behind another
- observePerceive with attention
- monitorDisplay or supervisor
- trackPath or monitored route
- watch like a hawkObserve with intense attention
surveillance · trail · dossier · shoofly · big brother · shadow · watch · eye · look after · eagle-eyed · oversight · scrutinize · bird-dog · check up on · look into · spy · private eye · snoop
- verifycheck, confirm, verify, validate, authenticate
keep tabs onignore
Refuse to notice
neglect · overlook · disregard · tune out · lose sight of
keep tabs onleave alone
Refrain from disturbing
abandon · wash one's hands of · let go of · let go · hands off