Meaning & use
keep looking up
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformal
to continue to be hopeful and positive, especially when things are difficult
Grammar: Used as an intransitive verb phrase, often as an imperative or after 'just'. It does not take an object.
Patterns
- keep looking up
- just keep looking up
Even after losing his job, he kept looking up and eventually found a better one.
She told her friend, 'Keep looking up; things will get better.'
Just keep looking up, and you'll get through this tough time.
phraseintransitive
to continue to raise your eyes to look at something above you
Grammar: Literal use: 'look up' means to direct your eyes upward; 'keep' shows continued action.
Patterns
- keep looking up at something
The children kept looking up at the stars and asking questions.
He kept looking up from his book whenever someone entered the room.
Common combinations
- keep looking up at the sky
- We kept looking up at the sky, hoping to see a shooting star.
- just keep looking up
- Just keep looking up—you'll find a solution soon.
- keep looking up and smile
- She always says, 'Keep looking up and smile.'
Synonyms and how they differ
- stay positive
- Focuses on maintaining a positive attitude, while 'keep looking up' is more figurative and often used as encouragement.
- keep your chin up
- A more fixed idiom with the same meaning; 'keep looking up' is less idiomatic and more literal.
Opposites
Practice
Which sentence uses 'keep looking up' correctly to mean 'stay positive'?
Choose one answer.
'Keep looking up' in the sense of staying positive is used as an encouragement. Option C fits this meaning. Option A uses 'look up' to mean 'search for information', option B is literal (looking upward), and option D means 'admire'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “keep looking up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.