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

In today’s labor market, hiring practices aren’t keeping up with current workforce needs. — Maha Jweied, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Not only have consumer prices increased, but paychecks are not keeping up. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

Missouri may not be able to keep up in a shootout, but another dominant game on the ground could turn the tide in its favor. — Pj Green october 12, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026

Looks like the fashion community will have to start keeping up with Kim Jones once again. — Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 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)