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

Gasparino kept up the pressure, beating out an infield single to shortstop against pitcher Ethan Grimm. —Josh Gross, Daily News, 31 May 2026

And most people don’t have the money to keep up with the Joneses, never mind the Zuckerbergs or the Griffins. —Allison Schrager, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026

Take care and keep up the great work. —Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 May 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)