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 Word Forms

• nonmaintenance noun
• premaintenance noun
• self-maintenance 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

TotalEnergies TTE 3.02%increase; green up pointing triangle expects higher oil and gas production and a jump in margins but said earnings in its integrated liquefied natural gas division will be hit by maintenance work.

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Meanwhile, gas flows from Norway to northwest European terminals have also risen following unplanned maintenance activity over the weekend.

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For example, standard landscape maintenance, which includes hedge trimming and lawn care, costs $4,800 and adds $5,000 to your home’s value, according to a report by the National Association of Realtors.

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, America’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector provides nearly 350,000 jobs, from doctors and researchers to maintenance engineers and construction workers.

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Its governing documents say that the trustee must act without providing them information other than what is narrowly required for trust maintenance.

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Related Words

• care 
• conservation 
• preservation 
• supply 
• upkeep 

When To Use

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."