keep up phrasal verb ( see also ↑ keep )
1 . keep something ↔ up to continue doing something:
I don’t think I can keep this up any longer.
keep up the good work! (=continue to work hard and well)
2 . if a situation keeps up, it continues without stopping or changing SYN continue :
How long can the economic boom keep up?
3 . to go as quickly as someone else
keep up with
I had to walk fast to keep up with him.
4 . to manage to do as much or as well as other people OPP fall behind
keep up with
Jack’s having trouble keeping up with the rest of the class.
keep up with the Joneses (=try to have the same new impressive possessions that other people have)
5 . to continue to read and learn about a particular subject, so that you always know about the most recent facts, products etc
keep up with
Employees need to keep up with the latest technical developments.
6 . keep something ↔ up to make something continue at its present level or amount, instead of letting it decrease:
NATO kept up the pressure on the Serbs to get out of Kosovo.
7 . if one process keeps up with another, it increases at the same speed and by the same amount
keep up with
Food production is not keeping up with population growth.
8 . keep something ↔ up to continue to practise a skill so that you do not lose it:
I used to speak French, but I haven’t kept it up.
9 . keep somebody up informal to prevent someone from going to bed:
I hope I’m not keeping you up.
10 . keep your spirits/strength/morale etc up to stay happy, strong, confident etc by making an effort:
We sang as we marched, to keep our spirits up.
11 . keep up appearances to pretend that everything in your life is normal and happy even though you are in trouble, especially financial trouble