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 disconnect between the front-end innovation and the back-office reality has never been more pronounced, because speed means nothing if your systems can’t keep up. —John Rubinetti, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

Geminis are social, communicative, and witty, so give your child a name that can keep up! —Kara Nesvig, Parents, 17 June 2025

High Breathability: Moisture resistant and fast drying to keep up with high output activities. —Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 17 June 2025

The interest expense had been impeding Rite Aid from investing in keeping stores enticing enough to keep up with its bigger rivals. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 17 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for keep up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

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)