keep on
Britishverb
-
to continue or persist in (doing something)
keep on running
-
(tr) to continue to wear
-
(tr) to continue to employ
the firm kept on only ten men
-
to persist in talking (about)
-
to nag (a person)
-
Continue, persist, as in They kept on singing all night . [Late 1500s]
-
Maintain an existing situation, as in After Mr. Brown died, the housekeeper wondered if she would be kept on . [Mid-1600s]
-
Cause to stay on or remain attached, as in Keep your coat on; it's cold in here . [Late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Chuck’s just going to keep on trying to come after me,” Wisor said.
He's got the manager's job there again now, of course, but why wasn't he kept on anyway as a mentor when Nancy arrived?
From BBC
Pickie was kept on a strict diet—no meats, sweets, or sauces.
From Literature
They stayed to themselves, kept on sharecropping, and saving every dollar they could; hoping that someday they could buy a farm of their own.
From Literature
I kept on stomping until the floorboards groaned.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
