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

My way of adapting is simply keeping up with that content and constantly experimenting with new production techniques. —Zoya Hasan, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

But the momentum kept up from there, with two tunes making the best original song cut, trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón scoring a history-making nomination, and Zoe Saldaña being a front-runner in the supporting actress race. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025

Total housing inventory improved throughout 2024, but supply isn’t anywhere close to keeping up with demand. —Bryan Mena, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025

Now Arrested Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? —Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025

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)