keep up

present singular third person keeps up · participle present keeping up · participle past kept up · past kept up

1. transitiveTo maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating or falling.

   The NRA is pumping groundwater into the River Itchen in Hampshire to keep up its flow and is trying to save three streams, the Tong, the Little Stour and the Dour from going dry this summer.

   1992, The Daily Telegraph, London

   1 more example

   This was the West Lancashire Railway, an ambitious but feckless little concern which, in a life lasting a quarter of a century, never earned a dividend, failed to keep up its debenture payments (despite a dangerous attempt to do so by issuing more debentures) and ended up in the hands of a receiver.

   1960 March 28, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Preston—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 201

2. idiomatictransitiveTo continue with (work, etc).

   Keep up the good work, team!

   3 more examples

   Non obstante the Change of Religion, the Plough-boies, and also the Schooleboies will keep-up and retain their old Ceremonies and Customes and priviledges.

   1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, page 40

   Keep up the good work of entertaining your fans on court Steffi; we know you can do it; your fans are behind you all the way.

   1991, Tennis World, Sussex: Presswatch

   If the borrower could no longer afford to keep up the payments, the longer he stayed in the home the more the interest bill mounted.

   1991, Hugh Barty-King, The worst poverty, Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd, pages 85–203

3. idiomaticintransitiveTo maintain position; to prevent oneself from falling behind; to stay even or ahead of another while walking, driving, etc.

   They ran so fast I could hardly keep up.

   3 more examples

   Rooney and his team-mates started ponderously, as if sensing the enormity of the occasion, but once Scholes began to link with Ryan Giggs in the middle of the park, the visitors increased the tempo with Sunderland struggling to keep up.

   2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport

   However, there are some warning signs. Phases 1 and 2A labour requirements are expected to peak at around 26,500 over the next two years, and there will be a constant labour demand until 2025-26, but there are signs that the skills training programmes may not be able to keep up.

   2021 September 8, Howard Johnston, “Network News: HS2 jobs boost - but skills shortage a concern”, in RAIL, number 939, page 16

   Attempts to merge these unions in recent years have failed when put to the vote of members, but unionisation remains strong in the rail industry - not least because it has proved effective in keeping up wages.

   2025 August 6, Christian Wolmar, “You don't get me, I'm part of the union”, in RAIL, number 1041, page 49

   Synonyms: keep pace

4. To ensure that one remains well-informed about something.

   I always try to keep up with (or "keep up on") current affairs.

5. To prevent someone from going to bed or to sleep

   The crying baby kept me up all night

6. obsoletemediaTo use capital letters as much as reasonable.

   Antonyms: keep down