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

Think portable chargers that actually keep up with long travel days, and Samsonite luggage at wallet-friendly prices. —Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 8 Nov. 2025

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025

Naval build-up China has built world’s largest navy, launching high-tech warships at a frenetic pace under Xi’s leadership, putting pressure on the United States and its Pacific allies to keep up. —Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025

That has put enormous financial pressure on especially the younger controllers, who may not have the savings needed to keep up with rent, bills or car payments, Duffy said. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

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)