for keeps

Idioms  

1. For the winner to retain, as in You can't take the marbles back; we were playing for keeps . [Mid-1800s]

2. For an indefinitely long time, forever, as in She is leaving town for keeps .

3. In earnest, seriously, as in We're separating for keeps . [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Russian troll farms spent more than a million dollars a month in the 2016 election; nowadays you can get your own custom-trained large language model for keeps, for less than $500,000.

From Scientific American

The plan was a signal that Biden is playing for keeps.

From Washington Post

“This time I was rewarded by seeing him hit the water for keeps, right wing first. The plane catapulted into the sea.”

From New York Times

Sounding a great deal like someone gearing up to declare his candidacy for larger office, DeSantis concluded, "The left is playing for keeps."

From Salon

The opening of the new front underlined that when it comes to territory in Ukraine, little is for keeps as each side tries to exploit the enemy’s shifting strategic vulnerabilities.

From New York Times