keep up - Definition & Meaning

keep up

Third Person

keeps up

Present Participle

keeping up

Past Tense

kept up

Past Participle

kept up

to preserve something at a consistently high standard, price, or level

to prevent someone from going to sleep

The noisy neighbors kept us up with their loud party until the early hours of the morning.
The exciting movie kept me up past my usual bedtime.
I couldn't sleep because my racing thoughts kept me up all night.
The stormy weather and thunder kept the children up at night.
The suspenseful novel kept her up late as she couldn't put it down.

to move or progress at the same rate as someone or something else

In the marathon, he struggled to keep up with the leading runners.
In the world of fashion, designers must anticipate trends and evolve their styles to keep up.
To succeed in the market, businesses need to keep up with consumer trends.
The student had to work extra hours to keep up with the coursework.
They need to find a way to keep up in the competitive market.

to continue using or practicing something

They strive to keep up old traditions to honor their cultural heritage.
Many artists keep up traditional techniques alongside modern methods.
Keeping up regular exercise is essential for physical well-being.
To maintain fluency, she tries to keep up her language skills through daily practice.

(of situations or weather conditions) to continue without stopping

The heavy snowfall kept up for hours, causing traffic disruptions.
If the current trend keeps up, we might see record-breaking temperatures this summer.
The foggy conditions kept up throughout the night, making it difficult to see.
The construction noise from the neighboring site has been keeping up for weeks; it's becoming unbearable.
We had to cancel our outdoor plans because the thunderstorm kept up all day.

to maintain a house, garden, or property in good condition

She works hard to keep up the garden and ensure it looks beautiful all year round.
Regular maintenance is required to keep up the old Victorian house.
The homeowners' association has guidelines for residents to help them keep up their properties.
They hired a handyman to keep the house up while they were away.
The couple shared the responsibility of keeping up their new home.

to stay knowledgeable and informed about current events or developments in a specific field or area of interest

The tech-savvy individual always keeps up, ensuring they are ahead in the latest gadgets.
To succeed in the rapidly changing business landscape, it's crucial to keep up on market trends.
As a journalist, she reads multiple newspapers daily to keep up with current events.
As a scientist, she makes it a priority to keep up on the latest discoveries in her field.
The professor encourages students to keep up with recent research in their chosen field.

Synonyms:

to maintain communication with someone

In our digital age, it's easier to keep up with family members living far away.
Despite living in different cities, they make an effort to keep up and stay connected regularly.
She makes an effort to keep up with her childhood friends despite their busy lives.
Long-distance couples often use video calls to keep up and maintain a sense of closeness.
After moving to a new city, he struggled to keep up with his old friends, but they stayed close.

to continue a particular action or behavior

The demanding workload is overwhelming, and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep it up.
Pretending to be happy is getting challenging; I don't know if I can keep the charade up much more.
Concealing my true emotions is becoming difficult; I don't know if I can keep up the act any longer.
Maintaining the illusion of enthusiasm at work is a struggle, and I doubt I can keep it up indefinitely.

to regularly meet financial obligations or perform routine tasks to avoid problems

She works diligently to keep up with her monthly rent in the expensive city.
To prevent repossession, ensure you keep up on your car loan installments.
Avoid legal complications by keeping up with timely tax payments as an entrepreneur.
Service disconnection can be avoided by consistently keeping up on utility bill payments.
It's crucial to keep up with your car loan installments to avoid repossession.