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
But with the right setup and maintenance, rest assured a bountiful harvest is in store for you.
—Anna Miller, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
For instance, Acquista would enter the falsified expenses as charges for maintenance, repairs or office supplies, court records show.
—Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024
Spending on maintenance and airport fees are rising by double-digit percentages.
—David Koenig, Quartz, 26 Apr. 2024
About 70 percent of the $60 billion investment is earmarked for new experiences in parks and cruise lines, and 30 percent for tech, infrastructure and maintenance.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
The railroad crossing on Milwaukee was installed in 2006 and has not had major maintenance in more than a decade, according to a news release from ITD.
—Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 21 Apr. 2024
If activated, the governing board of that district could issue bonds to pay for maintenance or renovations.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024
All three men were employees of Brawner Builders, which was doing overnight maintenance work on the structure at the time of the deadly collapse, according to a statement previously shared by Jack Murphy.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Angel Alba, a former maintenance supervisor and worker at several state parks in Malibu, filed the suit in 2018 in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the agency and his former boss, Lynette Brody, after more than a decade of contentious workplace issues, according to court documents.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Anna Miller, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
For instance, Acquista would enter the falsified expenses as charges for maintenance, repairs or office supplies, court records show.
—Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024
Spending on maintenance and airport fees are rising by double-digit percentages.
—David Koenig, Quartz, 26 Apr. 2024
About 70 percent of the $60 billion investment is earmarked for new experiences in parks and cruise lines, and 30 percent for tech, infrastructure and maintenance.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
The railroad crossing on Milwaukee was installed in 2006 and has not had major maintenance in more than a decade, according to a news release from ITD.
—Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 21 Apr. 2024
If activated, the governing board of that district could issue bonds to pay for maintenance or renovations.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024
All three men were employees of Brawner Builders, which was doing overnight maintenance work on the structure at the time of the deadly collapse, according to a statement previously shared by Jack Murphy.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Angel Alba, a former maintenance supervisor and worker at several state parks in Malibu, filed the suit in 2018 in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the agency and his former boss, Lynette Brody, after more than a decade of contentious workplace issues, according to court documents.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maintenance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near maintenance
Cite this Entry
“Maintenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maintenance. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
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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