maintain

[ meyn-teyn ]

verb (used with object)

1. to keep in existence or continuance; preserve; retain:

   to maintain good relations with neighboring countries.

   Synonyms: continue, keep up

   Antonyms: discontinue

2. to keep in an appropriate condition, operation, or force; keep unimpaired:

   to maintain order; to maintain public highways.

   Synonyms: keep up

3. to keep in a specified state, position, etc.:

   to maintain a correct posture; to maintain good health.

4. to affirm; assert; declare:

   He maintained that the country was going downhill.

   Synonyms: asseverate

5. to support in speech or argument, as a statement or proposition.

   Synonyms: justify, vindicate, defend, uphold

   Antonyms: contradict

6. to keep or hold against attack:

   to maintain one's ground.

7. to provide for the upkeep or support of; carry the expenses of:

   to maintain a family.

8. to sustain or support:

   not enough water to maintain life.

maintain

/ meɪnˈteɪn /

verb

1. to continue or retain; keep in existence
2. to keep in proper or good condition

   to maintain a building

3. to support a style of living

   the money maintained us for a month

4. takes a clause as object to state or assert

   he maintained that Talbot was wrong

5. to defend against contradiction; uphold

   she maintained her innocence

6. to defend against physical attack

Derived Forms

• mainˈtainer, noun
• mainˈtainable, adjective

Other Words From

• main·taina·ble adjective
• main·taina·bili·ty noun
• main·tainer noun
• premain·tain verb (used with object)
• self-main·tained adjective
• self-main·taining adjective
• under·main·tain verb (used with object)
• under·main·tained adjective
• unmain·taina·ble adjective
• unmain·tained adjective
• well-main·tained adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of maintain¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English mainteinen from Old French maintenir, ultimately from Medieval Latin manūtenēre, Latin manū tenēre literally, “to hold in hand,” equivalent to manū, ablative of manus “hand” + tenēre “to hold”; manual, tenet

Word History and Origins

Origin of maintain¹

C13: from Old French maintenir, ultimately from Latin manū tenēre to hold in the hand

Synonym Study

Maintain, assert, aver, allege, hold, state all mean to express an opinion, judgment, or position. Maintain carries the implications of both firmness and persistence in declaring or supporting a conviction: She maintained her client's innocence even in the face of damaging evidence. Assert suggests assurance, confidence, and sometimes aggressiveness in the effort to persuade others to agree with or accept one's position: He asserted again and again the government's right to control the waterway. Aver, like assert, implies confident declaration and sometimes suggests a firmly positive or peremptory tone; in legal use aver means “to allege as fact”: to aver that the evidence is incontrovertible. Allege indicates a statement without evidence to support it, and thus can imply doubt as to the validity or accuracy of an assertion: The official is alleged to have been unaware of the crime. Hold means simply to have or express a conviction or belief: We hold these truths to be self-evident; She held that her rights had been violated. State usually suggests a declaration that is forthright and unambiguous: He stated his reasons in clear, simple language.

Example Sentences

In practicality, many importers incur these costs themselves and then pass some of these costs onto consumers so that these businesses can maintain healthy profit margins.

From Salon

"Whether it's possible to have integrated scenarios that maintain a high-grade fusion plasma with these specific flows of excess fuel and ash from the plasma needs to be determined," Schwartz said.

From Science Daily

The demographic change made it difficult for older people to live in Senboku-NT as neighborhood shops closed one after another, leaving frail older adults unable to maintain their daily life within walking distance.

From Science Daily

He can appear tired in news conferences but there is also an inner fire which has enabled him to set and maintain his standards.

From BBC

The new proposals, which follow a review, maintain the stepchild rule, though NHS bosses insist no decisions have been made.

From BBC

Related Words

• continue
• control
• cultivate
• finance
• keep
• manage
• preserve
• protect
• provide
• renew
• retain
• support
• sustain
• uphold

When To Use

What are other ways to say maintain?

To maintain something is to keep it in existence, or to preserve it. How does maintain compare to the synonyms support, sustain, and uphold? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.