Definition of keep (or hold) one's end up in US English:

phrase

• Perform well in a difficult or competitive situation.

  Example sentences

  • ‘The youngster held his end up in the tight exchanges and after scoring the first try he actually side-stepped a winger to score another in the second half.’
  • ‘It's hard for guys to step into a team and he's still naive when it comes to calls and knowing our players but he's held his end up competently.’
  • ‘The girls keep their end up but are really in a different league.’
  • ‘You have to be able to keep your end up in an argument and show that your position is consistent.’
  • ‘‘At least I'm prepared to consider the odd risk here and there,’ she argued, more to keep her end up than with any conviction.’
  • ‘I can certainly keep my end up in the school choir, which I love.’
  • ‘This was a most enjoyable and rewarding experience and I think with the usual Kiwi exuberance we were able ‘to hold our end up’ quite well.’
  • ‘He held his end up gracefully, and even more kudos to him for being able to flirt in a foreign language.’

  Synonyms

  manage, survive, subsist, look after oneself, fend for oneself, shift for oneself, stand on one's own two feet, carry on, get through, get on, get along, get by, muddle through, muddle along, scrape by, bear up, make the grade, come through, hold one's own, keep one's end up, keep one's head above water, keep the wolf from the door, weather the storm

  View synonyms