keep up

British  

verb

1. (tr) to maintain (prices, one's morale) at the present level

2. (intr) to maintain a pace or rate set by another

3. to remain informed

   to keep up with technological developments

4. (tr) to maintain in good condition

5. (tr) to hinder (a person) from going to bed at night

   the excitement kept the children up well past their bedtime

6. to continue a good performance

7. to keep cheerful under difficult circumstances

8. to maintain one's stance or position against opposition or misfortune

9. to remain in contact with, esp by letter

10. informal to compete with one's neighbours in material possessions, etc

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keep up Idioms  

1. Also, keep up with . Proceed at the same pace, continue alongside another, as in We try to keep up with the times . [First half of 1600s] This usage, also put as keep pace , appears in the phrase keeping up with the Joneses , which was coined in 1913 by cartoonist Arthur R. Momand for the title of a series in the New York Globe . It means “trying to match the lifestyle of one's more affluent neighbors or acquaintances.” For example, Their buying a new van is just another attempt to keep up with the Joneses .

2. Support, sustain, as in They're trying to keep up their spirits while they wait for news of the crash . [Late 1600s] Also see keep one's chin up .

3. Maintain in good condition, as in Joan really kept up the property . [Mid-1500s] This usage also appears in the idiom keep up appearances , meaning “to maintain a good front, make things look good even if they're not,” as in She was devastated by his bad prognosis but is trying hard to keep up appearances for their children . [Mid-1700s]

4. Persevere, carry on, prolong, as in Keep up the good work , or How long will this noise keep up? [Early 1500s] Also see keep it up .

5. Also, keep up with ; keep up on . Stay in touch, remain informed. For example, Ann and I haven't seen each other since college, but we keep up through our annual Christmas letters , or We subscribe to three papers so as to keep up on current events . [c. 1900]

6. keep someone up . Cause someone to remain out of bed, as in He's keeping up the children beyond their bedtime . [Mid-1700s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

keep up

"The cost of the house, it was really tricky to keep up with everything, keep the payments going," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Since then, fears the company’s earnings could not keep up with the hype surrounding the IPO cut the price of shres Friday to $108.37, less than half their high of $225.64 in June.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Stocks have shot higher over the past four trading sessions, and investors who are worried about missing out are piling into bullish options bets just to try to keep up.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Bush's own barrister Richard Wright KC said "greed, incompetence and an inability to keep up with his own failings" had driven the crimes.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

Bright wanted us to keep up practice sessions over the holidays.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• hold on