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

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

Synonyms

• care and feeding
• conservation
• conserving
• keep
• preservation
• preserving
• sustentation
• upkeep

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

The pool update that night was brief and didn’t answer many of the questions parents still had about the impact to the district’s general fund, other district maintenance and facility needs, as well as logistics like rental rates and how use will be scheduled. —Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025

Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, tree planting and maintenance, urban forest planning, workforce development, invasive species management and forest restoration. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2025

The aircraft carrier, which is equipped with F-35C stealth fighter jets, returned to Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo in November 2024 after undergoing maintenance and upgrades in Virginia. —Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025

Plus, his presentation said staff needs to make sure the city keeps up with state and federal regulations, like the replacement of lead service lines, and maintains a high enough fund balance for maintenance and other things that are needed to keep the water system reliable. —R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from maintenir — see maintain

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing maintenance

• health maintenance organization
• high-maintenance
• low-maintenance
• self-maintenance

Kids 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

Legal Definition

maintenance

noun

main·​te·​nance

1

a

: the act of providing basic and necessary support

b

: the state of having such support

2

: a financial means of providing necessary assistance: as

a

: alimony

b

: support

3

: the necessities of life provided for by payment of maintenance

4

: the upkeep of property or equipment

5

: unsought and unnecessary meddling in a lawsuit by assisting either party with means to carry it on compare champerty