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 proposals come as Georgia seeks to keep up with the growing demand for electricity driven by data centers. — Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026

With the number of reports continuing to rise, Fuller said the TEA will likely need additional resources to keep up. — Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

The danger is particularly acute because health authorities are already struggling to keep up with the virus. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

The 2022 study had found that the CSU system was failing to keep up with institutions nationwide across higher education in staff pay. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 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)