Word.ws English Dictionary

keeps up with the Joneses

keeps up with the Joneses is the third-person singular simple present indicative of keep up with the Joneses.

Meaning of keep up with the Joneses

Verb

keep up with the Joneses (third-person singular simple present keeps up with the Joneses, present participle keeping up with the Joneses, simple past and past participle kept up with the Joneses)

  1. (idiomatic) To act or make purchases for status or image rather than out of need, especially for the purpose of competing with friends, neighbors, or society.
    • Do you really need a fancy new car or are you just trying to keep up with the Joneses?

Questions about keeps up with the Joneses

What is keeps up with the Joneses the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Keeps up with the Joneses is the third-person singular simple present indicative of keep up with the Joneses.

Words near keeps up with the Joneses in the dictionary

  1. keeps tryst
  2. keeps under
  3. keeps up
  4. keeps up appearances
  5. keeps up with
  6. keeps up with the Joneses
  7. keeps up with the times
  8. keeps vigil
  9. keeps watch
  10. keeps wicket
  11. keepsake

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeps up with the Joneses (page history and authors); keep up with the Joneses (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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