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.
“I think he’s allowing the old protocols to just keep on grinding through.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
"Really scared" Pearl unlocked her mum's phone, dialled 999 and told call handler Gen Hinds: "She's lying on the sofa… she's not awake. Her eyes keep on opening and closing."
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Intel stock has been on an incredible run and the gains just keep on coming.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
And the numbers show that the U.S. economy is increasingly dependent on this class to keep on spending.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
“We just walk, and keep on walking. Even after we feel like we can’t, we just keep on walking.”
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
