Dictionary

keep up en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From Middle English kepen up (“to perpetuate, maintain, preserve”), equivalent to keep + up.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To 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:
   • 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 14, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Preston—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 201:
2. (idiomatic, transitive) To continue with (work, etc).
   • 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:
   • Keep up the good work, team!
   • 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. (idiomatic, intransitive) To maintain position; to prevent oneself from falling behind; to stay even or ahead of another while walking, driving, etc.
   • 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:
   • They ran so fast I could hardly keep up.
   • 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:
   • 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:
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. (obsolete) To use capital letters as much as reasonable.

Forms

Antonyms

keep down

Deriveds

keep up appearances · keep up with the Joneses · keep it up · keepie-uppie · keep up with · keep up with the times

Synonyms

keep pace (stay even or ahead)

Translations (74)

fi pitää (maintain, preserve) · sv hålla jämna steg (To stay even or ahead) · fi pitää ajan tasalla (To ensure that one remains well-informed about something) · sv hinna med (To stay even or ahead) · es seguir / mantener la cadencia (To stay even or ahead) · it stare al passo (To stay even or ahead) · es mantenerse / estarse al corriente (To ensure that one remains well-informed about something) · ro întreține (maintain, preserve) · ast caltener (maintain, preserve) · az ayaqlaşmaq (To stay even or ahead) · ro ține pasul (To ensure that one remains well-informed about something) · pl utrzymywać (maintain, preserve) · pl nadążać (To stay even or ahead) · ro menține (maintain, preserve) · es andar con (To stay even or ahead) · es mantenerse / estarse al tanto (To ensure that one remains well-informed about something) · es continuar con (continue with) · tr ayak uydurmak (To stay even or ahead) · it rimanere aggiornato (To ensure that one remains well-informed about something) · cs udržovat se (To stay even or ahead) · ru сохранять (maintain, preserve) · tr yetişmek (To stay even or ahead) · cs udržovat (maintain, preserve) · fi pysyä perässä (To ensure that one remains well-informed about something) · fi valvottaa (To prevent someone from going to bed or to sleep) · es no quedarse atrás (To stay even or ahead) · hu lépést tart (To stay even or ahead) · ru продолжать (continue with) · pt manter (maintain, preserve) · pl nadążyć (To stay even or ahead) · ro ține pasul (To stay even or ahead) · ro ține treaz (To prevent someone from going to bed or to sleep) · es atener (To stay even or ahead) · fi säilyttää (maintain, preserve) · pl utrzymać (maintain, preserve) · fi pysyä mukana (To ensure that one remains well-informed about something) · it continuare (continue with) · sv hänga med (To ensure that one remains well-informed about something) · de erhalten (maintain, preserve) · fi pysyä mukana (To stay even or ahead) · fr continuer (continue with) · bg не изоставам (To stay even or ahead) · bg поддържам (maintain, preserve) · es continuar así (continue with) · de Schritt halten (To stay even or ahead) · cs pokračovat (s) (continue with) · fi hoitaa (maintain, preserve) · cs držet krok (To stay even or ahead) · sv underhålla (maintain, preserve) · fr maintenir (maintain, preserve) · ro continua (continue with) · fr conserver (maintain, preserve) · pt manter-se atualizado (To stay even or ahead) · ru поддерживать (maintain, preserve) · pt manter (continue with) · fi pysyä perässä (To stay even or ahead) · cs udržet se (To stay even or ahead) · de weitermachen (continue with) · it mantenere (continue with) · fr maintenir (continue with) · nl bijblijven (To stay even or ahead) · sv fortsätta (continue with) · pt acompanhar (To stay even or ahead) · la tueor (maintain, preserve) · el ξενυχτώ (To prevent someone from going to bed or to sleep) · fi jatkaa (continue with) · es no rezagarse (To stay even or ahead) · de mithalten (To stay even or ahead) · it conservare (maintain, preserve) · sv hänga med (To stay even or ahead) · fi ylläpitää (maintain, preserve) · es mantenerse / estarse al día (To ensure that one remains well-informed about something) · cs udržet (maintain, preserve) · it mantenere (maintain, preserve)