Home > Antonyms > Antonyms for keep up

Antonyms for keep up

Grammar : Verb
Spell : keep
Phonetic Transcription : kip

Definition of keep up

Origin :
  • late Old English cepan "to seize, hold," also "to observe," from Proto-Germanic *kopijanan, but with no certain connection to other languages. It possibly is related to Old English capian "to look," from Proto-Germanic *kap- (cepan was used c.1000 to render Latin observare), which would make the basic sense "to keep an eye on."
  • The word prob. belongs primarily to the vulgar and non-literary stratum of the language; but it comes up suddenly into literary use c.1000, and that in many senses, indicating considerable previous development. [OED]
  • Sense of "preserve, maintain" is from mid-14c. Meaning "to maintain in proper order" is from 1550s; meaning "financially support and privately control" (usually in reference to mistresses) is from 1540s. Related: Kept; keeping.
  • verb maintain, sustain
Example sentences :
  • Our hero, though strong-armed, had hard work to keep up with him.
  • Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
  • Besides, it was not very substantial, and failed to keep up their wonted strength.
  • Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
  • And yet he had small occasion to keep up on the bit as he rode her.
  • Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
  • It was as much as the little fellow could do to keep up with his friend.
  • Extract from : « Rico and Wiseli » by Johanna Spyri
  • You're here to keep up our sales and increase them if you can.
  • Extract from : « The Foolish Lovers » by St. John G. Ervine
  • She loved him so much that she could not keep up this pretence of strength!
  • Extract from : « The Foolish Lovers » by St. John G. Ervine
  • Keep up the price of iron with peace if you can, but keep it up at any rate.'
  • Extract from : « The Works of Whittier, Volume V (of VII) » by John Greenleaf Whittier
  • What we've got to do is, to keep up our spirits, and be neighbourly.
  • Extract from : « Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit » by Charles Dickens
  • How could one keep up such a big place, and what, too, would be the use of it?
  • Extract from : « The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete » by Emile Zola
  • But the supply could not keep up with the insatiable demand.
  • Extract from : « The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 10, No. 58, August, 1862 » by Various

Synonyms for keep up

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019