Entry Word: maintain

Function: verb

Meaning: 1 to keep in good condition <he repairs and maintains antique cars as a hobby>

Synonyms conserve, keep up, preserve, save

Related Words support, sustain; care (for), husband, manage; defend, guard, protect, safeguard, screen, shield; cure, fix, heal, remedy; mend, patch, rebuild, reconstruct

Near Antonyms disregard, ignore, neglect; break, damage, destroy, harm, hurt, impair, injure, ruin, wreck

2 to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections <part of debating is learning to maintain your position in the face of harsh challenges>

Synonyms defend, justify, support, uphold

Related Words advocate, champion, espouse; confirm, vindicate, warrant; affirm, assert, avow, claim, contend, declare, insist, proclaim, profess, state; argue, debate, discuss; emphasize, stress, underline, underscore

Near Antonyms abandon, forsake, recant, retract, take back, withdraw; controvert, disprove, rebut, refute

3 to pay the living expenses of <we simply cannot afford to maintain a horse> — see support 2
4 to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration <she continued to maintain that a sewing machine would end up paying for itself since she could make her own clothes> — see argue 1
5 to state as a fact usually forcefully <he maintains that there is indeed hard evidence for extraterrestrial visitors> — see claim 1