keep on
Britishverb
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to continue or persist in (doing something)
keep on running
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(tr) to continue to wear
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(tr) to continue to employ
the firm kept on only ten men
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to persist in talking (about)
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to nag (a person)
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Continue, persist, as in They kept on singing all night . [Late 1500s]
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Maintain an existing situation, as in After Mr. Brown died, the housekeeper wondered if she would be kept on . [Mid-1600s]
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Cause to stay on or remain attached, as in Keep your coat on; it's cold in here . [Late 1800s]
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.
"You cannot keep on selling your best players and then hope to be in contention at the top of the table," added Newcastle's all-time leading goalscorer.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Joko, 51, a construction worker, said he had no choice but to keep on working or he would lose out on income.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
“I don’t miss his self-destruction. So I’m 81. He died at 27. And there’s different ways to do this. Hopefully you guys will keep on breathing like I am.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
How do I ensure that my husband doesn’t keep on paying?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Well, girl, guess we better keep on looking.”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
