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

Incomes have not kept up with rising costs in 42 of the 46 most competitive midterm election districts. — Amy L. Wong, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026

Everyone spitting dope ass verses, trying to keep up with each other. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026

Those dollar figures are aspirational, however, as pay has not kept up for many workers. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026

Those parts have been in such high demand that the supply chain can’t keep up. — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 27 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)