keep after
phrasal verb
kept after; keeping after; keeps after
1
informal
: to tell (someone) again and again to do something
My kids kept after me to quit smoking, so I finally did.
I wasn't going to audition, but my friends kept after me.
2
US
: to require (a student) to stay at school after classes have ended
The teacher kept him after (school) for misbehaving in class.
Examples of keep after in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While a student at Christian Brothers High School, he was kept after classes one day and happened to see a group of female students arrive at the all-boys school for a theatrical production.
—
Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024
However, Israel does not want to keep the bulk of its military based in Gaza indefinitely, but rather to pull back and regularly reenter to keep after Hamas.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2024
Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024
However, Israel does not want to keep the bulk of its military based in Gaza indefinitely, but rather to pull back and regularly reenter to keep after Hamas.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'keep after.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near keep after
Cite this Entry
“Keep after.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep%20after. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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