keep up with the Joneses

Various theories; see Wikipedia article.

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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?

   • 1938, William F. Bigelow, editor, The Good Housekeeping Marriage Book, page 74:

     One of the greatest pitfalls in the path of any young couple is the feeling that they must "keep up with the Joneses." We all think of ourselves as belonging to a certain social group—whether we express it in snobbish terms or not.

   • 1962 February, “Talking of Trains: Signalmen's rewards”, in Modern Railways, page 82:

     Nor is it good for the name of the railway industry that skilled men should have to put in so much overtime to keep up financially with the Joneses in other walks of life.

• conspicuous consumption
• peer pressure
• status symbol