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 a statement announcing her departure, which will take full effect next year, Amanpour did not mention the corporate takeover but urged her colleagues at CNN to keep up their work. — Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026

The inventory changes throughout the year, with the family bringing out seasonal merchandise and looking for new products to keep up with changing trends. — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026

That figure marked an increase from $4 billion in revenue over the same period a year earlier, but the revenue failed to keep up with costs. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

If one part of that chain can’t keep up, additional generation doesn’t solve the problem. — Charlie Sanchez, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 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)