keep up with the Joneses
To act or make purchases for status or image rather than out of need, especially for…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.
Meaning
1 senses(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?
Origin
Various theories; see Wikipedia article.Various theories; see Wikipedia article.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
keeps up with the Joneses, keeping up with the Joneses, kept up with the Joneses, kept up with the Joneses| Base form | keep up with the Joneses · to keep up with the Joneses |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | keeps up with the Joneses |
| Present participle | keeping up with the Joneses |
| Past simple | kept up with the Joneses |
| Past participle | kept up with the Joneses |
irregular · Lesson
Present simpleLesson
| I, you, we, they | keep up with the Joneses |
| he, she, it | keeps up with the Joneses |
Past simpleLesson
| all persons | kept up with the Joneses |
Present perfectLesson
| I, you, we, they | have kept up with the Joneses |
| he, she, it | has kept up with the Joneses |
Future simple (will)Lesson
| all persons | will keep up with the Joneses |
Word family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.