keep it a buck
(US, slang, originally, AAVE) To be real, honest, truthful.
Etymology timeline
Born ~2010 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
Make sure you tell the whole story…he is supportive of single payer Universal Healthcare but had the nerve to tell the truth… Instead of being a billionaire promising shit that will not get done with THIS Admin. T…
Imma keep it a buck. The Boys finale season hasn’t been good enough to warrant a theatrical finale. Like be for real
MADDEN: I mean, let's keep it a buck.
Definitions
(US, slang, originally, AAVE) To be real, honest, truthful.
“Make sure you tell the whole story…he is supportive of single payer Universal Healthcare but had the nerve to tell the truth… Instead of being a billionaire promising shit that will not get done with THIS Admin. This is where the real candidate is going to keep it a buck…”
“Imma keep it a buck. The Boys finale season hasn’t been good enough to warrant a theatrical finale. Like be for real”
“Make sure you tell the whole story…he is supportive of single payer Universal Healthcare but had the nerve to tell the truth… Instead of being a billionaire promising shit that will not get done with THIS Admin. This is where the real candidate is going to keep it a buck…”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Imma keep it a buck. The Boys finale season hasn’t been good enough to warrant a theatrical finale. Like be for real”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Show 1 more dictionary-style sense (imported)
To be real, honest, truthful.
“MADDEN: I mean, let's keep it a buck.”
"keep it a buck" means to be real, honest, truthful. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"keep it a buck" is informal English meaning to be real, honest, truthful. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "to be real" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "keep it a buck" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“MADDEN: I mean, let's keep it a buck.”
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🎤About Black culture & AAVE slang
Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.
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(originally, AAVE, , colloquial) To be authentic, to be true to oneself; to be cool.
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(US, slang, originally, AAVE) To be real, honest, truthful.
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(AAVE, slang, idiomatic) To be authentic, to be true to oneself.
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To be real, honest, truthful.