Keep up with meaning
Keep up with means to go, work or learn as fast as someone or something. It can also mean to know the latest news or changes about something.
keep up with somebody or something
keep up with · kept · keeping
I walk fast, but I can’t keep up with my brother.
Keep up with meanings and examples
4 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Go, work or learn as fast as someone or something
keep up with somebody or something
- I walk fast, but I can’t keep up with my brother.
- Wages haven’t kept up with prices.
- Is the factory able to keep up with all the orders?
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2
Know the latest news or changes about something
keep up with something
- I read the news every morning to keep up with world events.
- It’s hard to keep up with all the new apps.
- Do you keep up with football at all?
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3
Stay in contact with someone
keep up with somebody or something
- I still keep up with a few friends from school.
- We kept up with each other by email for years.
- She doesn’t keep up with her cousins any more.
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4
Continue to pay or do something regularly
keep up with something
- They couldn’t keep up with the payments on the car.
- I’m struggling to keep up with the homework.
- He keeps up with his piano practice every day.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use keep up with in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is keep up with separable?
Keep up with is not separable. The person or thing comes after with: keep up with the class, keep up with her.
Keeping up with the Joneses means trying to have the same expensive things as your neighbours. Keep up alone has no object: I can’t keep up.
Verb tenses for keep up with
| Present | I keep up with · she keeps up with |
|---|---|
| Past | kept up with |
| Present perfect | have kept up with |
| -ing form | keeping up with |
Common mistakes with keep up with
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I can’t keep up the other students.
Right: I can’t keep up with the other students.
Use with before the people you follow.
Wrong: I can’t keep with up the news.
Right: I can’t keep up with the news.
The words come in this order: keep up with.
Wrong: I keep up with my old friends by letter on paper every year.
Right: I keep in touch with my old friends by letter every year.
Keep in touch is the most natural phrase for staying in contact.
Synonyms and opposites of keep up with
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- keep upthe same speed meaning, but with no object
- catch upreach others after falling behind
- keep in touch withstay in contact with someone
Opposite
- fall behindbecome slower or later than others
- lose touch withstop being in contact with someone
Keep up with quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Prices are rising so fast that wages can’t ___ them.
Keep up with means go at the same speed as something.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Use keep up with + thing.
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3“I fell ill and couldn’t keep up with the rent.” What happened?
Keep up with payments means continue to pay them on time.
More phrasal verbs with keep
All phrasal verbs with keep, by level, with an exercise
6 phrasal verbs start with keep. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Keep up with FAQ
Questions people ask about keep up with.
What is the difference between keep up and keep up with?
Keep up with names the person or thing: keep up with the leader. Keep up alone does not: Wait, I can’t keep up!
What does keeping up with the Joneses mean?
It means trying to have the same cars, clothes and holidays as people around you, to look as successful as them.
What is the difference between keep up with and catch up with?
You keep up with someone so you do not fall behind. You catch up with someone after you have fallen behind.
Use keep up with in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.