keep at

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See synonyms for keep at on Thesaurus.com

verb (preposition)

(intr) to persevere with or persist in

(tr) to constrain (a person) to continue doing (a task)

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby keep at

keep an eye on, keep an eye out for, keep a sharp lookout, keep a stiff upper lip, keep a straight face, keep at, keep at arm's length, keep away, keep a weather eye out, keep back, keep body and soul together

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use keep at in a sentence

Domestically, the prime minister maintains the dubious line that he is the only man who can keep the still-fragile peace.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV,” she continued.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I think if you keep trying to do things the same way it becomes diminishing returns.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Ney said McDonnell needs to “keep a stiff lip” and stay in close contact with family members.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv|Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

I keep meeting more and more people where that seems to be the case.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She was growing accustomed to like shocks, but she could not keep the mounting color back from her cheeks.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
And it was no light task, then, for six hundred men to keep the peace on a thousand miles of frontier.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
He will keep the sayings of renowned men, and will enter withal into the subtilties of parables.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Keep closely covered with a bell glass and, in a few weeks, more or less, the baby Ferns will start to put in an appearance.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
My thought was to keep pushing in troops from "W" Beach until the enemy had fallen back to save themselves from being cut off.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

Other Idioms and Phrases with keep at

keep at

Persevere or persist at doing something. For example, If you keep at your math, you'll soon master it. It is also put as keep at it, as in He kept at it all day and finally finished the report. [Early 1800s]

keep at someone. Nag, harass, or annoy someone, as in You have to keep at Carl if you want him to do the work, or He keeps at Millie all the time. Also see keep after.

keep at

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How to use keep at in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with keep at