To “keep abreast of” something is to stay informed about its latest facts or developments. Cambridge also records “stay abreast” and “remain abreast,” so the central idea is continuing awareness rather than physical position.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionPhrases & Idioms
Quick answer
“Keep abreast of” means stay informed about the latest developments in a subject or situation.
Key details
Canonical Formkeep abreast of something
Core Meaningstay informed about the most recent facts or developments in a subject or situation
Further guidance
History Boundary
This guide does not attach an origin narrative or exact first-use date.
Meaning
Use the phrase for keeping current with developments, news, research, rules, or other changing information.
Variant Boundary
Cambridge groups keep, stay, and remain abreast of together, so those verb choices are established variants.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
The saying “a watched pot never boils” expresses how impatient waiting can make time feel unusually slow. This guide limits its public explanation to the present meaning supported by Oxford and does not publish a speculative origin chronology.
“Against the clock” describes working quickly to finish before a time limit and can also describe an activity in which elapsed time is recorded to compare speed. This guide keeps those current senses separate from unsupported origin chronology.
“At the drop of a hat” describes acting immediately or very readily. This guide publishes the current form and meaning supported by Cambridge without adding an unsupported story about a precise origin or first use.
To put something “on the back burner” is to postpone or deprioritize it temporarily rather than deal with it now. The guide stays with current documented meaning and does not add unsupported origin chronology.
“Better late than never” is used when a delayed action, arrival, or improvement is still considered worthwhile because the alternative would be no action at all. This guide does not claim an exact origin date.
“Burn the midnight oil” means to work late into the night. Historical phrase research reports “mid-night oyle” in Francis Quarles’s 1635 Emblemes and an earlier 1623 dictionary entry for working by candlelight, which provides context without proving a single moment of coinage.
“By Chance” means without being planned or intended, or without a known cause. Use it for accidental or unplanned occurrence; “by any chance” is a different expression often used to soften a question or request.
The informal idiom “call it a day” is used when someone decides to stop working or end an activity for the time being. This guide limits the page to the current meaning and form rather than asserting unsupported exact-origin chronology.
