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 South Florida in particular, where the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years, teacher salaries aren’t keeping up. — Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026

The new rules are needed because state law has not kept up with the growing popularity of e-bikes, Police Chief John Miller told the council at a July meeting. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2026

To keep up with the market, older buildings need to renovate or convert. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026

Debast is a good one-on-one defender, never committing too much while having the pace to keep up with most wide players. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 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)