What it means
To keep mum means to stay quiet and not give the secret away. It’s a pretty British, slightly old-school way of saying keep it to yourself, whether it’s office gossip, family drama, or a surprise that’ll fall apart if someone starts yapping.
Usage examples
"Boss said keep mum about the redundancy list, but Dave had already texted the whole team before the kettle even boiled."
"My nan said to keep mum about the surprise birthday for grandad, then promptly told the butcher, the postwoman and three random strangers at the bus stop on the way to Tesco."
"Keep mum about the new manager being the boss daughter, the rumour mill will spin on its own, we do not need to add fuel to the conversation by the kettle on Monday morning."
"I told you to keep mum about me leaving the job, and now my auntie’s sent a thumbs-up text like she’s my career manager."
"Keep mum till Friday, yeah? If Sophie clocks the surprise too early, the whole thing turns into sad party confetti."
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Where it comes from
Here mum is an old English word meaning silent. It turns up in English from the 14th century and likely links to mumming or mime, both tied to staying quiet or not speaking plainly. So keep mum has long meant keep your lips zipped and don't let the secret wander off.
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