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keep it up

Idioms  

  1. Continue to do or maintain something, as in They were playing loud music, and they kept it up all night long. [Mid-1700s] Also see keep up, def. 4.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Yeah, I keep it up with a tutor on Fridays!

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

If the photo in my book shelf was only of Chávez, I’d still keep it up.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

"The truth is, we've been playing well, but we have to keep it up because the past doesn't matter. What matters is the future."

From Barron's • Nov. 29, 2025

He has good reason to keep it up.

From Slate • Aug. 26, 2025

He tried to look at them, but he couldn’t keep it up and had to look away.

From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.