1
: the act of maintaining in good condition : the state of being maintained in good condition
2
: the cost of maintaining in good condition
Examples of upkeep in a Sentence
Who is responsible for the upkeep of these buildings?
Once your car gets that old, the cost of upkeep can get very expensive.
The yard requires very little upkeep.
We sold our horse because we could no longer afford its upkeep.
Recent Examples on the Web
Protect that time — not as leisure, but as creative upkeep.
—
Rochelle Ratkaj, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
City and county governments set local rules covering burials, inurnments, entombments and the upkeep of cemeteries, mausoleums and columbariums, according to state law.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2025
And none of this money includes what other partner nations pay per year on upkeep of their modules and the care, feeding, and training of crews, ballooning the overall cost further.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
According to Pew Research, the United States is also eyeing at least $105 billion in deferred upkeep projects.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upkeep
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Rochelle Ratkaj, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
City and county governments set local rules covering burials, inurnments, entombments and the upkeep of cemeteries, mausoleums and columbariums, according to state law.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2025
And none of this money includes what other partner nations pay per year on upkeep of their modules and the care, feeding, and training of crews, ballooning the overall cost further.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
According to Pew Research, the United States is also eyeing at least $105 billion in deferred upkeep projects.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upkeep
Cite this Entry
“Upkeep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upkeep. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
upkeep
noun
up·keep
ˈəp-ˌkēp 
: the act or cost of maintaining in good condition : maintenance
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