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

The idea here is that everything is included—insurance, maintenance, wear-and-tear items. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "Car Decisions: Should You Buy or Lease ... or Subscribe?," 30 Jan. 2019 For Wasser, the commodity is a maintenance-free friendship. — Justine Harman, Glamour, "These Self-Help Gurus Might Not Have Have Formal Training—But They Promise to Change Your Life," 20 Dec. 2018 Insurance, maintenance, roadside assistance, and unlimited mileage are also included, as well as two complimentary days of Silvercar car rentals per month. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Audi’s new subscription service lets you swap vehicles twice a month," 21 Sep. 2018 So much deeper, in fact, that when Sara Sampaio was recently asked a benign question about her eyebrow maintenance, the model gave an honest answer about her trichotillomania. — Andrea Park, Teen Vogue, "Sara Sampaio Says She Has "Gaps" in Her Eyebrows Due to Trichotillomania," 25 July 2018 Windows are Energy Star rated in a tilt-wash style with a maintenance-free finish. — Tony Bacewicz, courant.com, "West River Farms, East Windsor," 28 June 2018 The McQuistons credit architectural designer Susan Abel and Liberty Homes Custom Builders for creating their attractive, maintenance-free, energy-efficient residence. — Sally A. Downey, Philly.com, "Poconos weekend retreat becomes year-round home," 12 June 2018 The monthly fee covers insurance, vehicle maintenance and 24-hour roadside assistance. — Gabrielle Coppola, Bloomberg.com, "Mercedes-Benz Starts Subscription Pilot From $1,095 a Month," 5 June 2018 Was Subject of 2 Previous Performance Complaints Aerolíneas Damojh has been suspended twice before, in 2010 and 2013, over concerns with its planes’ maintenance, according to Mexican authorities. — Eli Meixler, Time, "One of the Survivors of the Cuban Plane Crash Has Passed Away, Raising the Death Toll to 111," 22 May 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

11 Feb 2019

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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