keep after

phrasal verb

kept after; keeping after; keeps after
1
informal : to tell (someone) again and again to do something
My kids kept after me to quit smoking, so I finally did.
I wasn't going to audition, but my friends kept after me.
2
US : to require (a student) to stay at school after classes have ended
The teacher kept him after (school) for misbehaving in class.

Examples of keep after in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And Soto, while expected to make north of $5 million in 2025, is expected to be kept after the Orioles gave up two solid prospects for him at the deadline. Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 14 Nov. 2024 The gross profit margin is one of them — the portion that companies keep after paying just the direct costs to make or stock their goods. Alina Selyukh, NPR, 9 Sep. 2024 While a student at Christian Brothers High School, he was kept after classes one day and happened to see a group of female students arrive at the all-boys school for a theatrical production. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024 However, Israel does not want to keep the bulk of its military based in Gaza indefinitely, but rather to pull back and regularly reenter to keep after Hamas. Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2024

Dictionary Entries Near keep after

Cite this Entry

“Keep after.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep%20after. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!