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
Synonyms
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
Hence, maintenance is as easy as emptying the dustbin and rinsing off the reusable filter between uses.
—Maggie Horton, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
State of play: Metro customers are generally responsible for water line maintenance on their property.
—Jason Clayworth, Axios, 18 Nov. 2024
Jaquez said train service resumed around 7 a.m., but D Line, E Line, R Line and H Line continued to experience up to 30-minute delays due to speed restrictions in track areas undergoing maintenance.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 18 Nov. 2024
This increase is attributed to maintenance and operational readiness activities.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for maintenance 
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.
Maggie Horton, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
State of play: Metro customers are generally responsible for water line maintenance on their property.
—Jason Clayworth, Axios, 18 Nov. 2024
Jaquez said train service resumed around 7 a.m., but D Line, E Line, R Line and H Line continued to experience up to 30-minute delays due to speed restrictions in track areas undergoing maintenance.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 18 Nov. 2024
This increase is attributed to maintenance and operational readiness activities.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for maintenance
Dictionary Entries Near maintenance
Cite this Entry
“Maintenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maintenance. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share