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to keep up

to keep up

53 3.0
To take care of something so it stays in good condition
  • phrasal verb
  • /kip ʌp/
translation icon : mantener
  • It's essential to keep up your car's maintenance to avoid expensive repairs later.
  • keep up to date

To this day she is keeping up this lie.

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Examples

Synonyms

to keep
vsto keep up
1.0

To continue doing something or stay in the same state

aims to preserve condition and prevent decay rather than just holding or continuing
to preserve
vsto keep up
496 3.4

To keep people and things safe from harm or change

applies active care and repairs instead of leaving things unchanged
to maintain
vsto keep up
225 3.1

Keep something in good condition by repairing and protecting it

also protects against harm and loss beyond routine repairs
to conserve
vsto keep up
63 3.4

Protect something from harm or waste by using it carefully

relies more on active repairs and condition care than on saving resources
to keep safe
vsto keep up
9 1.8

To protect people or things from danger

focuses on long term condition and preventing decay rather than only safety

Antonyms

256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

146 5.9

To get worse in quality, condition, or value

How Maintained

to preserve
496 3.4
to keep up
53 3.0
to tend
174 1.0
to restore
219 3.5
neglect
100 3.5

Surface Forms

keep up infinitive
keeping up present participle
keeps up third person singular
kept up past
kept up past participle

Morphology

keep + up

The meaning 'to continue or maintain the same level' is directly derivable from combining 'keep' (to continue or retain) with 'up' (indicating a maintained or higher position/state). This compositional motion/continuation sense is a common phrasal-verb pattern and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Keep up for caring for things may come from the image of using posts to keep a roof up so it does not fall, so it means 'to keep in good condition'.