maintenance

noun

main·te·nance | \ ˈmānt-nən(t)s

, ˈmān-tə-nən(t)s\

Definition of maintenance

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

3 : 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

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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

Recent Examples on the Web

On the other hand, there's the question of maintenance. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "Car Decisions: Should You Buy or Lease ... or Subscribe?," 30 Jan. 2019 An official post on YouTube’s product forum states these sweeps are part of routine maintenance the company performs. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "22 predictions for social media in 2019," 15 Dec. 2018 On the patio, opt for arrangements of succulents and other desert-friendly flora to keep maintenance as easy as can be. — Heather Corcoran, ELLE Decor, "How to Bring Old Hollywood Into Your Home," 19 Mar. 2019 While maintenance and energy costs are lower, initial purchase prices are not. — Eric A. Taub, New York Times, "Buses, Delivery Vans and Garbage Trucks Are the Electric Vehicles Next Door," 21 June 2018 Voter list maintenance is a bi-partisan process in Indiana. — Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star, "Judge blocks plan to purge Indiana voters before November election," 11 June 2018 Metro must make bus-service decisions early, because the agency needs nearly a full day to schedule bus drivers, remove chains and do other maintenance, said King County Executive Dow Constantine. — Mike Lindblom, The Seattle Times, "Metro buses still on reduced snow schedules while slush brings new driving risks," 12 Feb. 2019 The rewards include cash back on fuel purchases, discounts on vehicle maintenance, and free 24/7 roadside assistance. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Uber will start rewarding high-performing drivers with better earnings and free college tuition," 1 Nov. 2018 The companies have come under fire for excessive rent hikes and fees, itchy eviction triggers, and shoddy maintenance, among other things. — Jeff Andrews, Curbed, "A brand new single-family neighborhood, where every unit is a rental," 10 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'maintenance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near maintenance

maintain life

maintain one's cool/composure

maintenance of membership

Statistics for maintenance

Last Updated

8 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for maintenance

The first known use of maintenance was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for maintenance

maintenance

noun

English Language Learners Definition of maintenance

: the act of keeping property or equipment in good condition by making repairs, correcting problems, etc.

: the act of causing something to exist or continue without changing

: the act of providing support for someone or something

See the full definition for maintenance in the English Language Learners Dictionary

maintenance

noun

main·te·nance | \ ˈmān-tə-nəns

Kids Definition of maintenance

1 : the act of keeping or providing for : the state of being kept or provided for One of government's jobs is the maintenance of law and order. We collected money for the family's maintenance.

2 : upkeep Workers in charge of maintenance painted the building.

maintenance

adjective

main·te·nance | \ ˈmānt-nən(t)s, -ᵊn-ən(t)s

Medical Definition of maintenance

: 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