keep up

1. 1.

   maintain a required pace or level

   “He could not keep up and dropped out of the race”

   Narrowerkeep step
2. 2.

   lengthen or extend in duration or space

   “We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible”

   “prolong the treatment of the patient”

   “keep up the good work”

   Synonymsprolongsustain

   Broadercontinue

   Narrowerretain
3. 3.

   keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction

   “We preserve these archeological findings”

   “The old lady could not keep up the building”

   “children must be taught to conserve our national heritage”

   “The museum curator conserved the ancient manuscripts”

   Synonymsconservepreservemaintain

   Broaderkeep

   Narrowerembalmplastinatehold the line
4. 4.

   keep informed

   “He kept up on his country's foreign policies”

   Synonymskeep abreastfollow
5. 5.

   prevent from going to bed at night

   “The anticipation of the trip kept the children up all night”

   “I kept myself up all night studying for the exam”

Questions about keep up

What does keep up mean?

keep up means "maintain a required pace or level". That is the primary sense; the word has 5 in total, listed in full on this page.

What is another word for keep up?

Close synonyms include prolong, sustain, conserve, preserve, maintain. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is keep up a common word?

keep up is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.