keep someone away from something—
1. cause a person not to come near smth.:
- The police used tear gas to keep the crowd away from the factory compound.
2. cause a person to avoid smth. harmful:
- I would never have imagined it would be so hard to keep her away from sweets.
3. cause a person to stay away from trouble or smth. dangerous:
- Parents play a crucial role in ensuring that teens are participating in activities that keep them away from drugs.
Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase keep someone back from something— = keep someone away from something 1:
- We had a good view of the security staff struggling to keep the crowd back from the stage.
keep someone out of something—
1. cause a person not to enter smth.:
- Keeping him out of the building is the most reliable way of keeping him away from the data.
2. prevent a person from participating in smth.:
- Gilhooley has been a victim of serious injuries which have kept him out of the game.
3. = keep someone away from something 3:
- We have worked to support your preventive programs that keep children out of drugs and violence.