keep at

British  

verb

1. (intr) to persevere with or persist in

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

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keep at Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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 .

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Example Sentences

Maye says he and his teammates just want to keep at it.

From Barron's

“If you would like to share your memories of Paul, please send them by mail or email for us to read in the days to come. We will welcome your remembrances and gather these into a scrapbook to keep at SBOE. We appreciate your understanding of our need for peaceful reflection at this time. In the coming weeks, we will announce our plans for honoring and remembering Paul with our orchid friends.”

From Los Angeles Times

Ukraine has learned to safeguard this trade by using naval drones to keep at bay Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

From The Wall Street Journal

Until then, he says, he will keep at it himself: "This is my ideal. If you have this ideal, you must persist. You can't not."

From BBC

Yes, it’s ideal to keep at least three months’ of expenses in an emergency fund, but don’t abandon saving altogether if that seems like an intimidating target.

From The Wall Street Journal