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

• hold out
• hold up
• last
• prevail
• survive

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

Plant and animal agriculture has struggled to keep up, contributing to the problem. —John Loeffler, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2024

Listen to this article While smartphones and the internet have revolutionized our way of life, Florida’s 911 system — designed during the era of analog landlines — has not kept up with the pace of these technological advances. —Jody Kenyon, Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2024

Many can’t keep up with the SEO changes meant to surface their work, and then there’s the whole A.I. plagiarism aspect looming on the horizon. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 June 2024

However, some companies go to great lengths to keep up the ruse, even going so far as to interview candidates for the fake jobs. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 27 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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)