Sometimes, life can be hard. Things don’t always go the way we want. But even when it feels tough, we still need to keep going. That’s why people use idioms special phrases that help explain how to keep moving forward, even when things are tricky. These sayings can be helpful when we need a little push to try again or stay strong.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean “keep going.” They can help us speak and write in a fun and clear way. These phrases are often used in books, talks, and everyday life. Once you learn them, you might start using them too. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Keep Going
1. Keep your chin up
Meaning: Stay strong and don’t give up.
In a Sentence: Keep your chin up even if you miss the goal. / She told her friend to keep her chin up after a bad grade.
Other Ways to Say: Stay strong / Don’t feel down
2. Hang in there
Meaning: Don’t give up even when things are hard.
In a Sentence: Hang in there, your team will score soon. / He told his brother to hang in there during the test.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t quit / Keep trying
3. Keep at it
Meaning: Continue doing something even if it’s tough.
In a Sentence: Keep at it, and you’ll finish your homework. / She kept at it until she could ride her bike.
Other Ways to Say: Stick with it / Keep working
4. Stay the course
Meaning: Keep going until you finish.
In a Sentence: He stayed the course and finished the puzzle. / She stayed the course during her school project.
Other Ways to Say: Keep going / Don’t stop
5. Push through
Meaning: Keep going even when it feels hard.
In a Sentence: He pushed through the last lap of the race. / I pushed through the hard math test.
Other Ways to Say: Fight on / Don’t give up
6. Soldier on
Meaning: Keep moving forward like a brave person.
In a Sentence: He soldiered on even with a cold. / She soldiered on and finished the game.
Other Ways to Say: Be brave / Keep going
7. Stick with it
Meaning: Keep doing it and don’t stop.
In a Sentence: Stick with it and you’ll finish the book. / She stuck with it until she learned to skate.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t give up / Keep going
8. Keep on keeping on
Meaning: Continue doing your best.
In a Sentence: Keep on keeping on, you’re doing great. / He kept on keeping on even when tired.
Other Ways to Say: Keep going / Don’t quit
9. Stay strong
Meaning: Be brave and keep trying.
In a Sentence: Stay strong during your dentist visit. / He stayed strong after losing the game.
Other Ways to Say: Keep at it / Hang in there
10. Ride it out
Meaning: Wait for something hard to pass.
In a Sentence: He rode it out during the storm. / She rode out the hard times at school.
Other Ways to Say: Get through it / Be patient
11. Carry on
Meaning: Keep doing what you were doing.
In a Sentence: Carry on with your painting. / He carried on playing guitar.
Other Ways to Say: Keep going / Continue
12. Keep plugging away
Meaning: Keep working little by little.
In a Sentence: He kept plugging away at his book report. / She kept plugging away at learning piano.
Other Ways to Say: Keep trying / Work on it
13. Keep your head up
Meaning: Don’t feel down, keep trying.
In a Sentence: Keep your head up after losing. / She kept her head up after falling off her scooter.
Other Ways to Say: Stay positive / Be strong
14. Don’t throw in the towel
Meaning: Don’t give up.
In a Sentence: Don’t throw in the towel, finish the project. / He didn’t throw in the towel even when tired.
Other Ways to Say: Keep going / Stay with it
15. Press on
Meaning: Keep moving forward.
In a Sentence: She pressed on with her science fair project. / He pressed on during the hike.
Other Ways to Say: Push ahead / Don’t stop
16. Tough it out
Meaning: Deal with something hard.
In a Sentence: He toughed it out in gym class. / She toughed it out when her arm hurt.
Other Ways to Say: Stick it out / Be strong
17. Keep the ball rolling
Meaning: Keep things moving or working.
In a Sentence: Let’s keep the ball rolling on our group project. / He kept the ball rolling with new ideas.
Other Ways to Say: Keep it going / Move forward
18. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: Stay up late to finish something.
In a Sentence: She burned the midnight oil to study. / He burned the midnight oil on his art.
Other Ways to Say: Work late / Keep working
19. Keep your nose to the grindstone
Meaning: Keep working hard.
In a Sentence: He kept his nose to the grindstone and finished early. / She kept her nose to the grindstone in class.
Other Ways to Say: Stay focused / Keep working
20. Move forward
Meaning: Don’t stop, go on with your plans.
In a Sentence: Move forward with your homework. / They moved forward even after a loss.
Other Ways to Say: Go ahead / Keep going
21. Keep climbing
Meaning: Don’t stop trying to reach your goal.
In a Sentence: Keep climbing toward your dream. / She kept climbing even after a mistake.
Other Ways to Say: Keep pushing / Don’t stop
22. Fight on
Meaning: Keep trying even when it’s hard.
In a Sentence: He fought on in the spelling bee. / She fought on during the last inning.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t give up / Stay in it
23. Hold your ground
Meaning: Don’t give in or quit.
In a Sentence: He held his ground in the game. / She held her ground during the debate.
Other Ways to Say: Stay firm / Stand tall
24. Keep marching
Meaning: Keep moving or doing something.
In a Sentence: They kept marching in the parade. / He kept marching through the homework.
Other Ways to Say: Keep moving / Don’t stop
25. Step by step
Meaning: Keep going slowly and carefully.
In a Sentence: Step by step, she learned to swim. / He built the model step by step.
Other Ways to Say: Little by little / One step at a time
26. Take it one day at a time
Meaning: Don’t rush handle things slowly.
In a Sentence: Take it one day at a time with your new routine. / He took it one day at a time after moving schools.
Other Ways to Say: Go slow / Do a little each day
27. Stay on track
Meaning: Keep doing what you planned.
In a Sentence: Stay on track with your reading list. / She stayed on track with her fitness plan.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t get distracted / Keep focused
28. Don’t lose steam
Meaning: Don’t slow down or stop.
In a Sentence: Don’t lose steam near the finish line. / He didn’t lose steam during practice.
Other Ways to Say: Keep your energy / Stay motivated
29. Keep grinding
Meaning: Keep working hard every day.
In a Sentence: He kept grinding at basketball drills. / She kept grinding even when it was boring.
Other Ways to Say: Work hard / Don’t quit
30. Hold on
Meaning: Don’t give up or let go.
In a Sentence: Hold on, things will get better. / She held on through a tough week.
Other Ways to Say: Keep trying / Stay strong
31. Just keep swimming
Meaning: Keep going, even when it’s hard (from Finding Nemo).
In a Sentence: Just keep swimming, the test is almost over. / He just kept swimming through his chores.
Other Ways to Say: Keep moving / Don’t give up
32. Head down, heart up
Meaning: Stay focused but hopeful.
In a Sentence: Head down, heart up during your final project. / She stayed head down, heart up through the storm.
Other Ways to Say: Be focused and hopeful / Work hard and stay kind
33. Get back in the saddle
Meaning: Start again after falling or failing.
In a Sentence: He got back in the saddle after tripping. / She got back in the saddle after missing a question.
Other Ways to Say: Try again / Start over
34. Keep on trucking
Meaning: Keep going, even when it’s tiring.
In a Sentence: Keep on trucking through your to-do list. / He kept on trucking through the weekend.
Other Ways to Say: Push forward / Don’t stop
35. Don’t break stride
Meaning: Don’t stop what you’re doing.
In a Sentence: Don’t break stride, you’re doing great. / She didn’t break stride even when the dog barked.
Other Ways to Say: Stay steady / Keep it up
36. Keep rolling
Meaning: Keep moving or working.
In a Sentence: Keep rolling with your school project. / They kept rolling through the road trip.
Other Ways to Say: Keep moving / Don’t stop
37. Plow ahead
Meaning: Keep going no matter what’s in the way.
In a Sentence: He plowed ahead with his science model. / She plowed ahead even when tired.
Other Ways to Say: Push through / Keep going
38. Dig in your heels
Meaning: Don’t give up or change your mind.
In a Sentence: She dug in her heels during the game. / He dug in his heels and finished his book.
Other Ways to Say: Stand strong / Don’t quit
39. Stay in the game
Meaning: Keep trying, even when you’re behind.
In a Sentence: Stay in the game, there’s still time to win. / He stayed in the game even after missing a shot.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t quit / Keep playing
40. Don’t back down
Meaning: Don’t quit or run away.
In a Sentence: Don’t back down in the spelling contest. / She didn’t back down when she had to speak up.
Other Ways to Say: Stand firm / Be brave
41. Keep your pace
Meaning: Don’t rush or slow down stay steady.
In a Sentence: Keep your pace during the jog. / He kept his pace while writing.
Other Ways to Say: Go steady / Stay balanced
42. Never say die
Meaning: Always keep trying, no matter what.
In a Sentence: Never say die when you want to win. / She never said die in the tournament.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t give up / Stay strong
43. Go the distance
Meaning: Finish something all the way.
In a Sentence: Go the distance and complete your story. / He went the distance in baseball practice.
Other Ways to Say: Finish strong / Stay with it
44. Don’t lose heart
Meaning: Don’t feel hopeless keep trying.
In a Sentence: Don’t lose heart after a hard quiz. / She didn’t lose heart when her team lost.
Other Ways to Say: Keep your hope / Stay brave
45. Onward and upward
Meaning: Keep going and aim higher.
In a Sentence: Onward and upward after graduation. / He said “onward and upward” after the big test.
Other Ways to Say: Keep improving / Move forward
Exercise to Practice
- When my basketball team was losing, our coach told us to ________ and not give up.
- I didn’t understand the science project at first, but I decided to ________ and try again.
- Mom said to ________ while I was getting my flu shot.
- After falling off his skateboard, Ben got up and said, “Time to ________.”
- Even though I was tired, I stayed up to ________ and finish my homework.
- My teacher told me to ________ with my reading goal each week.
- I had a cold, but I still ________ and went to school.
- My big sister told me to ________ when I was sad about losing my lunchbox.
- During the school play, I forgot a line, but I ________ and finished my part.
- The storm was loud, but we stayed safe and just ________ until it passed.
- I didn’t win the race, but Dad said, “________, buddy. You did your best.”
- It was hard to learn fractions, but I took it ________ and didn’t give up.
- At the family picnic, we kept the games going and ________ with the fun.
- When the video game got harder, I didn’t quit. I ________ until I won.
- My little brother was scared of the slide, but I told him to ________ and try again.
Answer Key
- hang in there
- keep at it
- stay strong
- get back in the saddle
- burn the midnight oil
- stay on track
- soldiered on
- keep your chin up
- pressed on
- rode it out
- keep your head up
- one day at a time
- kept the ball rolling
- pushed through
- just keep swimming
Conclusion
Learning idioms can make speaking and writing more fun and clear. Idioms like “hang in there” or “keep at it” help us talk about staying strong and not giving up, even when things get tough.
Now that you know these phrases, try using them in real life. Whether you’re doing homework, playing sports, or helping at home, these idioms can give you a boost to keep going.