keep up

verb

kept up; keeping up; keeps up

transitive verb

: to persist or persevere in

kept up the good work

also : maintain, sustain

keep standards up

intransitive verb

1

: to keep adequately informed or up-to-date

keep up on international affairs

2

: to continue without interruption

rain kept up all night

3

: to maintain contact or relations with someone

keep up with old friends

Synonyms

• hold out
• hold up
• last
• prevail
• survive

Examples of keep up in a Sentence

let's hope that old air conditioner keeps up through this heat wave

kept the house up while the owners were gone

Recent Examples on the Web

While many leaders may accept that human judgment is required, there will be a tendency to strain the capacity of humans to keep up with the pace of AI. —Brian Jackson, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Plus, being able to keep up with the lives of others through their social media posts has instilled in us a false sense of connectedness. —Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

Trump railed against the FBI over that search and has kept up his criticism ever since. —Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 12 Dec. 2024

Hotter temperatures mean higher utility costs for millions of Americans Not surprisingly, households in poorer states are having a harder time keeping up with their electricity bill. —Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

keep up

verb

1

: maintain sense 1

keep standards up

2

: to stay well informed about something

keep up on the news

3

: to continue without interruption

rain kept up all night

4

: to stay even with others (as in a race)