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 of keep up

• survive
• last
• prevail

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

This version has charging cords built into it, giving you less to pack and keep up with. —Terri Peters, Parents, 6 Mar. 2026

Want to be kept up with all things Survivor? —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026

Iran kept up its retaliatory attacks on Israel, American bases and countries around the region. —Jon Gambrell, Twin Cities, 5 Mar. 2026

Iran kept up retaliatory attacks on Israel, American bases and countries around the region. —Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026

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)