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

Hilton, a former Fox News host, spent much of the summer barnstorming the state and keeping up a steady stream of media appearances. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Though Olivier escorted her costar Olivia de Havilland instead—to keep up appearances—Leigh was the belle of the ball, especially in hometown hero Margaret Mitchell’s absence. — Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026

Your money buys you less While Americans are technically earning more in dollar terms on average, paychecks are not keeping up with the pace of inflation. — Alexandra Meier, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2026

There’s going to be more equity needed across this space to keep up with these enormous demands. — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 3 Nov. 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)