keep at

keep at (someone or something)

1. To continue trying to do or achieve something, especially after initial failures or setbacks. Often used an imperative, especially in the phrase “keep at it.”

If you really want to become a comic book artist, you have to keep at it! You can’t just give up after your first rejection.

I felt much better when I kept at my exercising throughout my pregnancy.

2. To persistently try to motivate someone to do something, typically through frequent interaction, reminders, or even nagging.

We need to keep at our senators to let them know we don’t support this legislation in any way.

Mom always kept at me to do my homework, and I’m very grateful to her for that.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.