transitive verb
1. : to go on with : persevere in : continue usually with persistence
kept the talk up until midnight
kept his criminal activity up until he was caught
kept up their correspondence
: maintain , sustain
kept up a front for Mama, who was not to be worried — Andrea Parke
kept their standards up
2. : to prevent from diminishing or deteriorating : keep in good condition
worked every day to keep the garden up
kept his credit up by paying his bills regularly
3. archaic : to keep confined or penned up
intransitive verb
1. : to stay even (as in acts of strength, endurance, or speed)
although he was small he could keep up with the larger boys in sports
: stay along (as in thoughts or studies)
able to keep up with his class in school
2. : to keep adequately informed — used with on or with
kept up with the affairs of the office
keep up on international relations
3. : to continue without interruption : maintain a particular course, condition, or series of actions
the rain kept up all night
4. : to match one's neighbors or contemporaries in accomplishment or in the acquisition of material goods : be in fashion — usually used with with
keeping up with the professors — Yale Review
farm folk seem to place less emphasis than city folk upon competitive consumption, or spending to keep up with the Joneses — Day Monroe