maintenance
noun
main·te·nance
ˈmānt-nən(t)s 
ˈmān-tə-nən(t)s
1
: the act of maintaining : the state of being maintained : support
The building has suffered from years of poor maintenance.
2
: something that maintains
at least half of them are living parasitically on the other half instead of producing maintenance for themselves—
G. B. Shaw
G. B. Shaw3
: the upkeep of property or equipment
the maintenance of the school
4
: an officious or unlawful intermeddling in a legal suit by assisting either party with means to carry it on
Synonyms
Examples of maintenance in a Sentence
Soon he could take an Underwood apart and put it together blindfolded, a trick that won him the account for maintenance of all the typewriters at Columbia-Presbyterian hospital …
—Ian Frazier, Atlantic, November 1997
The building has suffered from years of poor maintenance.
the costs of routine car maintenance
maintenance of law and order
money for the family's maintenance
Ian Frazier, Atlantic, November 1997
The building has suffered from years of poor maintenance.
the costs of routine car maintenance
maintenance of law and order
money for the family's maintenance
Recent Examples on the Web
According to WalletHub, Texas is ranked in the Top 10 best states to drive in the U.S.
The study compared all 50 states on 31 different key metrics, focusing on: cost of vehicle ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety and access to vehicles and their maintenance.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Jan. 2025
These decks require repair, renovations and ongoing maintenance, Dublinski said.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
One area where the power of both technologies can shine is predictive maintenance.
—Bill Rokos, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
Of those who identified as financially stressed, 32% said handling unexpected emergencies like medical bills, car repairs and home maintenance trigger their anxiety with cash, the report found.
—Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for maintenance 
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Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Jan. 2025
These decks require repair, renovations and ongoing maintenance, Dublinski said.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
One area where the power of both technologies can shine is predictive maintenance.
—Bill Rokos, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
Of those who identified as financially stressed, 32% said handling unexpected emergencies like medical bills, car repairs and home maintenance trigger their anxiety with cash, the report found.
—Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for maintenance
Dictionary Entries Near maintenance
Cite this Entry
“Maintenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maintenance. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
maintenance
noun
main·te·nance
ˈmānt-nən(t)s
-ᵊn-ən(t)s
1
: the act of maintaining : the state of being maintained
maintenance of law and order
money for the family's maintenance
2
: something that maintains
3
: the care of property or equipment
workers in charge of maintenance
Medical Definition
maintenance
adjective
main·te·nance
ˈmānt-nən(t)s, -ᵊn-ən(t)s
: designed or adequate to maintain a patient in a stable condition : serving to maintain a gradual process of healing or to prevent a relapse
a maintenance dose
maintenance chemotherapy
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