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maintain
[ meyn-teyn ]
verb (used with object)
to maintain good relations with neighboring countries.
Antonyms: discontinue
- to keep in an appropriate condition, operation, or force; keep unimpaired:
to maintain order; to maintain public highways.
Synonyms: keep up
- to keep in a specified state, position, etc.:
to maintain a correct posture; to maintain good health.
He maintained that the country was going downhill.
Synonyms: asseverate
- to support in speech or argument, as a statement or proposition.
Synonyms: justify, vindicate, defend, uphold
Antonyms: contradict
- to keep or hold against attack:
to maintain one's ground.
- to provide for the upkeep or support of; carry the expenses of:
to maintain a family.
- to sustain or support:
not enough water to maintain life.
maintain
/ meɪnˈteɪn /
verb
- to continue or retain; keep in existence
- to keep in proper or good condition
to maintain a building
- to support a style of living
the money maintained us for a month
- takes a clause as object to state or assert
he maintained that Talbot was wrong
- to defend against contradiction; uphold
she maintained her innocence
- to defend against physical attack
Derived Forms
- mainˈtainer, noun
- mainˈtainable, adjective
Other Words From
- main·taina·ble adjective
- main·taina·bili·ty noun
- main·tainer noun
- premain·tain verb (used with object)
- self-main·tained adjective
- self-main·taining adjective
- under·main·tain verb (used with object)
- under·main·tained adjective
- unmain·taina·ble adjective
- unmain·tained adjective
- well-main·tained adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of maintain1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
"I have always believed in myself that I can get to this level and maintain it."
South Korea’s fertility rate — the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime — currently sits at 0.72, the lowest in the world and far below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population.
Manson long maintained that he had not ordered any murders even after his 1971 conviction, with some claiming the 1969 murders were “copycats” masterminded by another.
But in the recent anonymous court declarations, some officers maintained that publishing the photos had put them in harm’s way.
By its very nature, it cannot be noble; it depends on lies that vilify an entire population and maintaining an inherently oppressive status quo.
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Related Words
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.
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