keep your head

Meaning

To 'keep your head' means to remain calm, sensible, and level-headed in a difficult, stressful, or dangerous situation. It is used when panic would make things worse, emphasizing the importance of rational thinking under pressure.

Examples

• Even when the fire alarm went off, she kept her head and guided everyone to the exit.

  Even when the fire alarm went off, she kept her head and guided everyone to the exit.

• It's crucial to keep your head during a job interview, even if they ask tough questions.

  It's crucial to keep your head during a job interview, even if they ask tough questions.

• If you can keep your head while everyone else is panicking, you'll solve the problem.

  If you can keep your head while everyone else is panicking, you'll solve the problem.

• He managed to keep his head and negotiate a peaceful resolution.

  He managed to keep his head and negotiate a peaceful resolution.

• When the market crashed, successful investors kept their heads and didn't sell.

  When the market crashed, successful investors kept their heads and didn't sell.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ In an emergency, you must keep your mind.

  ✓ In an emergency, you must keep your head.

  English speakers use 'keep your head' to mean staying calm. 'Keep your mind' is not a standard idiom in this context.

• ✗ He kept his head cool during the crisis.

  ✓ He kept his head during the crisis.

  While 'keep a cool head' is a valid idiom, 'keep his head cool' mixes 'keep your head' and 'keep a cool head' incorrectly.

Related Expressions

Practice

• When the server went down before the presentation, Sarah ___ and found a backup.

  💡 Past tense of 'keep your head'

  Show answer

  kept her head

• It's hard to ___ when everyone around you is screaming.

  💡 Base form

  Show answer

  keep your head