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
Regularly clean around your home—particularly the kitchen—and keep up with yard maintenance.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2025
Staff at the cemetery assigned each student a set of graves to clean in a section of the cemetery that needed grounds maintenance.
—Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Shifeng added that the company plans to prioritize advances in key technologies for offshore computing infrastructure, improve operations and maintenance and pursue greener, low-carbon upgrades.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
No other parish revenues can be allocated for columbarium construction or maintenance, Casey said.
—Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maintenance
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Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2025
Staff at the cemetery assigned each student a set of graves to clean in a section of the cemetery that needed grounds maintenance.
—Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Shifeng added that the company plans to prioritize advances in key technologies for offshore computing infrastructure, improve operations and maintenance and pursue greener, low-carbon upgrades.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
No other parish revenues can be allocated for columbarium construction or maintenance, Casey said.
—Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 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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