maintenance

[ meyn-tuh-nuhns ]

noun

1. the act of maintaining:

   the maintenance of proper oral hygiene.

2. the state of being maintained:

   the maintenance of friendly relations with England.

3. care or upkeep, as of machinery or property:

   With proper maintenance the car will last for many years.

4. means of upkeep, support, or subsistence; livelihood:

   to provide a comfortable maintenance.

5. alimony or child support.
6. Law. an officious meddling in a suit in which the meddler has no interest, by assisting either party with means to prosecute or defend it.

adjective

1. Pharmacology, Psychiatry. administered to sustain a desired physiological or mental condition:

   maintenance dose.

maintenance

/ ˈmeɪntɪnəns /

noun

1. the act of maintaining or the state of being maintained
2. a means of support; livelihood
3. modifier of or relating to the maintaining of buildings, machinery, etc

   maintenance man

4. law (formerly unlawful) the interference in a legal action by a person having no interest in it, as by providing funds to continue the action See also champerty
5. law a provision ordered to be made by way of periodical payments or a lump sum, as after a divorce for a spouse
6. computing
   1. the correction or prevention of faults in hardware by a programme of inspection and the replacement of parts
   2. the removal of existing faults and the modification of software in response to changes in specification or environment

Other Words From

• non·mainte·nance noun
• pre·mainte·nance noun
• self-mainte·nance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of maintenance¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English maintenaunce, from Middle French maintenance; equivalent to maintain + -ance

Word History and Origins

Origin of maintenance¹

C14: from Old French; see maintain

Example Sentences

It wants to make its timetable less complex and also make sure its "aging" train fleet has targeted maintenance.

From BBC

But Los Angeles’ staggering backlog of basic maintenance is hurting residents and driving up liability costs.

From Los Angeles Times

“In the Agencies’ view, renewing and expanding repair-related exemptions would promote competition in markets for replacement parts, repair, and maintenance services, as well as facilitate competition in markets for repairable products,” the comment read.

From Salon

The consultancy also expects that prices will remain higher due to geopolitical tensions, bad weather and maintenance taking place on Norwegian gas infrastructure.

From BBC

They included one detailing an "annual maintenance charge" of £983 after the first year, which the salesman said only applied if the customer had no insurance.

From BBC

Related Words

• care
• conservation
• preservation
• supply
• upkeep

How Do You Spell Maintenance?

Spelling tips for maintenance

The word maintenance is hard to spell because it is spelled differently from the way it is pronounced [ meyn-tuh-nuhns ]. 

How to spell maintenance: To spell maintenance, break it down into three parts: main – ten – ance. The suffix -ance means roughly “action.”

When To Use

What are other ways to say maintenance?

Maintenance refers to care or upkeep, as of machinery or property, or to the means of upkeep, support, or subsistence. How is maintenance different from living and livelihood? Find out on Thesaurus.com.