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

The nominal growth is tremendous, but the rate of change simply can’t keep up, and the descent from 60%-100% annual growth rates down to a more modest 15%-20% pace cements this outlook. — Todd Gordon, CNBC, 22 July 2026

More screenings in Imax 70mm will be added to keep up with the intense demand. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 22 July 2026

Her mark is a guest who was struggling to remove a stroller from her trunk and keep up with her older child. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

The McBee son told Page Six his dad is keeping up with the show’s third season from prison. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 21 July 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)