give upvskeep
Give up and keep are opposites. To give up something is to stop having or doing it — to surrender the effort or let the thing go (give up smoking, give up a seat). To keep something is to go on having or doing it — to hold on and carry on (keep a habit, keep going). One lets go; the other holds on.
Someone sets a shoulder against a heavy block and drives, trying to shove it the last stretch toward a light just past it. It will not move. They strain, reset, strain again — then stop, turn, and slide down the block to sit at its foot, head sinking. The light beyond goes out; nothing is held any more.
/ˌɡɪv ˈʌp//ˌɡɪv ˈʌp/·phrasal verbA pair of hands takes in a small warm light and folds it against the chest, the way you would shelter a flame indoors. Nothing is chasing it and nothing is tugging it away; the hands simply stay closed. A fleck of dust drifts past as if to carry the glow off, and the grip does not so much as twitch. The light goes on, held, because no one ever decided to set it down.
/kiːp//kiːp/·verbThese two pull opposite ways on whether you go on. Give up is the plain phrasal verb for stopping — you let the thing go or end the effort. Keep, from Old English cēpan ('to hold, observe'), is its opposite: you go on having it, or go on doing it (keep going, keep trying). Where give up sets the thing down, keep holds it. Give up is letting go; keep is holding on.
What each means
give up
To give up is to stop trying — the everyday, colloquial way to say the effort has ended. It aims at striving rather than things: you give up hope, give up smoking, give up on a dream, give up a seat. Where pursue presses on and achieve carries the effort through to its end, give up is the moment the pushing stops. It can mean a healthy letting-go of a habit, or simple defeat; either way, something that was being reached for is released.
keep
To keep something is to go on having it — the plainest, widest word for not letting go. It comes from Old English cēpan, 'to seize, hold, observe', and it has kept that open reach: you keep a promise, a secret, a seat, a pet, your temper. Unlike retain, which holds on deliberately against the chance of loss, keep can be effortless and ordinary. Its true opposite is to abandon — to set a thing down and walk away from it for good.
At a glance
| give up | keep | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to stop having or doing something | to go on having or doing something |
| The hand | opens, sets it down | stays closed, holds on |
| Effort | the effort ends | the effort continues |
| Often with | give up smoking, a seat, hope, trying | keep a habit, a promise, going, trying |
| Direction | let go | hold on / carry on |
| Example | He gave up running after the injury. | He kept running through the pain. |
How to remember the difference
They are opposites — let go or hold on. Give up is the figure who stops shoving the block and sits down as the light goes out: the thing released, the effort ended (give up smoking, give up trying). Keep is the hands folded around the light, never setting it down: you go on having it, or go on doing it (keep your seat, keep going). If you stop and let go, you give up; if you hold on and carry on, you keep.
Examples
give up
- She gave up sugar for the new year.
- Don't give up when it gets hard.
- He gave up his seat to someone older.
keep
- Keep going — you're nearly there.
- She kept her promise to the very end.
- He kept the habit of reading every night.
They are opposites, sharpest in the 'keep going' / 'give up' pairing: keep carries the action on, give up stops it. Note that keep can mean both to hold a thing and to continue an action, and give up opposes both — you give up a seat (a thing) or give up trying (an action).
FAQ
- What is the difference between give up and keep?
- They are opposites. Give up is to stop having or doing something — surrendering the effort or letting it go (give up smoking, give up trying). Keep is to go on having or doing it (keep a habit, keep going). One lets go; the other holds on.
- Are give up and keep opposites?
- Yes — give up releases or stops; keep holds on or carries on.
- Can give up and keep be used interchangeably?
- No — they are opposite. Keep going means carry on; give up means stop.
- What is the opposite of give up?
- To keep going, carry on, or persevere. Give up stops the effort; keep continues it.
- Does keep mean to continue?
- Yes — keep can mean to go on doing something (keep trying, keep going), the direct opposite of giving up.
- What are the noun forms?
- Keep has no common noun in this sense; give up has none either, the nearest being 'surrender'.