maintain

1 to keep in good condition he repairs and maintains antique cars as a hobby Synonyms conserve, keep up, preserve, save Related Words service; support, sustain; care (for), husband, manage; defend, guard, protect, safeguard, screen, shield; cure, fix, heal, remedy; mend, patch, rebuild, reconstruct, rehabilitate, rejuvenate, restore Near Antonyms disregard, ignore, neglect; break, damage, destroy, harm, hurt, impair, injure, ruin, wreck

2 to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections part of debating is learning to maintain your position in the face of harsh challenges Synonyms defend, justify, support, uphold Related Words advocate, champion, espouse; confirm, vindicate, warrant; affirm, assert, aver, avouch, avow, claim, contend, insist, plead, proclaim, profess, protest, state; argue, debate, discuss; emphasize, stress, underline, underscore Phrases stand up for, stick up for Near Antonyms abandon, abjure, forsake, recant, retract, take back, withdraw; reverse, switch; controvert, disprove, rebut, refute

3 to pay the living expenses of we simply cannot afford to maintain a horse Synonyms keep, support, provide (for)Related Words finance, fund, patronize, set up, sponsor, stake, underwrite

4 to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration she continued to maintain that a sewing machine would end up paying for itself since she could make her own clothes Synonyms assert, contend, argue, plead, reasonRelated Words adduce, cite, mention; claim, insist; affirm, aver, avouch, avow; advance, give, offer, propose, submit; advise, counsel, recommend, suggest, urge; convince, persuade; advocate, champion, defend, enforce, espouse, support; explain, justify, rationalize; consider, debate, discuss; confute, counter, disprove, rebut, refute

5 to state as a fact usually forcefully he maintains that there is indeed hard evidence for extraterrestrial visitors Synonyms affirm, allege, assert, aver, avouch, avow, contend, declare, insist, claim, profess, protest, purport, warrantRelated Words announce, broadcast, proclaim; argue, rationalize, reason; confirm, justify, vindicate; defend, persevere, support, uphold; reaffirm, reassertNear Antonyms abandon; disavow, disclaim, disown, negate, negative, reject, repudiate; challenge, dispute, question; confute, disprove, rebut, refute; contradict, counterAntonyms deny, gainsay