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
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
It's also designed to be self-cleaning, which makes field maintenance incredibly easy.
—Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 25 May 2025
College maintenance workers have begun removing the tree, officials said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 25 May 2025
Perez has worked in Aurora’s Public Works Department for years, originally starting as a seasonal worker in 2005 before being hired on as a maintenance worker in 2012, according to his resume.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
It’s equipped with five cleaning modes and eight brush heads for easy maintenance.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for maintenance
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Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 25 May 2025
College maintenance workers have begun removing the tree, officials said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 25 May 2025
Perez has worked in Aurora’s Public Works Department for years, originally starting as a seasonal worker in 2005 before being hired on as a maintenance worker in 2012, according to his resume.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
It’s equipped with five cleaning modes and eight brush heads for easy maintenance.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for maintenance
Cite this Entry
“Maintenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maintenance. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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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