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

The virus is to blame for below-normal levels of egg production that can’t keep up with consumer demand, which leads to higher prices. —Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024

This is especially true of business leaders in the culture space, who must not only keep up with the trends but stay ahead of them to better target and influence their customers. —Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2024

The pressure on all nations to keep up their population levels has never gone away. —Angela Saini, WIRED, 29 Dec. 2024

This year has been relentless, with long hours on set, grueling deadlines, and the constant pressure to keep up appearances in LA. —Remy Blumenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 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)