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
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
Upon return, maintenance crews found the laptop and the flight left for Rome after an inspection.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Australian personnel also will be required to take greater responsibility for conducting complex submarine maintenance on site, without the support of a tender ship, as was the case in the previous maintenance period, Australia's Defense Department said.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Invisible asbestos fibers can become airborne whenever materials containing asbestos are disturbed during demolition, renovation, or even routine maintenance.
—Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2025
Rea has proposed an ordinance that the City Council is expected to consider that would call on city staff to create new maintenance standards for historic buildings.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maintenance
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Australian personnel also will be required to take greater responsibility for conducting complex submarine maintenance on site, without the support of a tender ship, as was the case in the previous maintenance period, Australia's Defense Department said.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Invisible asbestos fibers can become airborne whenever materials containing asbestos are disturbed during demolition, renovation, or even routine maintenance.
—Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2025
Rea has proposed an ordinance that the City Council is expected to consider that would call on city staff to create new maintenance standards for historic buildings.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maintenance
Cite this Entry
“Maintenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maintenance. Accessed 2 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share