What Does “Keep sb up” Mean?
“Keep sb up” means to prevent someone from sleeping or resting by causing disturbance or noise.
Introduction
The phrase “Keep sb up” is a common phrasal verb in English. It is often used when someone or something causes another person to stay awake longer than they want or need to. The “sb” stands for “somebody,” meaning it affects a person directly. Understanding the Keep sb up meaning helps learners express situations involving sleeplessness caused by external factors. For example, loud music, talking, or any noise can keep someone up at night. This phrase is useful in everyday conversations and is frequently heard in informal settings.
Quick Info Box
- Phrasal verb: Keep somebody up
- Type: Transitive
- Level: A2–B2
- Short meaning: To prevent someone from sleeping
Structure (Grammar Rules)
“Keep sb up” is a separable phrasal verb, meaning you can place the object (somebody) between the verb and the particle “up.”
- Keep somebody up
- Keep up somebody (less common, usually avoid)
The most natural and common structure is keep somebody up. The verb “keep” is followed by the object (somebody), and then the particle “up.”
How to Use “Keep sb up”?
Use “Keep sb up” to describe situations where someone or something stops another person from sleeping. It is often used in the past tense (“kept”) to talk about events that happened before. You can also use it in the present or future tense.
- My neighbors keep me up with loud music every night.
- Don’t keep the children up too late.
- The noise kept him up all night.
Examples
Here are some natural sentences using “Keep sb up” in context:
- The barking dog kept me up last night, so I am very tired today.
- She didn’t want to keep her parents up with her late-night phone calls.
- The bright lights from the street kept the baby up.
- Don’t keep your friends up by talking too loudly.
- His worries about the exam kept him up for hours.
These examples show how “Keep sb up in a sentence” can describe different reasons and situations for losing sleep.
Common Mistakes
People often confuse the object position or mix up the phrase with similar expressions. Here are some common mistakes:
- Incorrect: The noise kept up me all night.
- Correct: The noise kept me up all night.
- Incorrect: Don’t keep up your sister late.
- Correct: Don’t keep your sister up late.
Remember, the object (sb) should come immediately after “keep,” followed by “up.”
Differences / Synonyms
Similar phrasal verbs include “stay up,” “hold up,” and “keep awake.” However, they have different meanings:
- Stay up: To remain awake by choice (no object needed). E.g., I stayed up late to finish my homework.
- Keep sb up: To cause someone else to stay awake, often unintentionally or annoyingly.
- Hold up: Means to delay or stop something, not related to sleep.
Unlike “stay up,” which is intransitive, “keep sb up” requires an object and focuses on causing another person’s sleeplessness.
Common Collocations
When using “Keep sb up,” certain objects are more common. Here are some collocations with their meanings:
- Keep someone up all night: Prevent someone from sleeping during the entire night.
- Keep the baby up: Stop the baby from sleeping.
- Keep neighbors up: Disturb neighbors’ sleep.
- Keep children up late: Cause children to stay awake beyond usual bedtime.
- Keep someone up with noise: Use noise to prevent sleep.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Here are related phrasal verbs of keep sb up:
Real-life Dialogue
Here is a short conversation using “Keep sb up”:
Anna: Did you sleep well last night?
Ben: Not really. The construction work next door kept me up until midnight.
Anna: That’s annoying! I hope it stops soon.
Ben: Me too. I need a good rest for work tomorrow.
Practice
Try to complete the following sentences with the correct form of “keep sb up”:
- The loud party ________ me ________ until 3 a.m.
- Please don’t ________ the kids ________ too late.
- The bright lights outside ________ the baby ________.
Answers:
- kept / up
- keep / up
- kept / up
FAQs
- What does “keep sb up” mean? It means to prevent someone from sleeping.
- Is “keep sb up” formal or informal? It is mostly informal and used in everyday conversation.
- Can I say “keep me up” and “keep you up”? Yes, you can use it with different objects like me, you, him, her, etc.
- What is the difference between “keep sb up” and “stay up”? “Keep sb up” means causing someone else to stay awake, while “stay up” means you are awake by choice.
- Can “keep up” be used without an object? Yes, but it has different meanings, such as maintaining speed or level, not related to sleep.
