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
Fewer people are working in the industry each year, said Duarte, and crabbing is a difficult industry with a short season, and costly upkeep for boats and traps.
—
Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
Those who build, manage, upkeep, and govern AI agents – the Agent Bosses.
—Swami Chandrasekaran, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
From the initial purchase to the lifelong upkeep, getting a dog can certainly be expensive.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
That two-story house requires a lot of upkeep.
—David McMillin, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upkeep
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
Those who build, manage, upkeep, and govern AI agents – the Agent Bosses.
—Swami Chandrasekaran, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
From the initial purchase to the lifelong upkeep, getting a dog can certainly be expensive.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
That two-story house requires a lot of upkeep.
—David McMillin, CNBC, 24 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 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
upkeep
noun
up·keep
ˈəp-ˌkēp 
: the act or cost of maintaining in good condition : maintenance
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share