Synonyms

maintain

American

[mayn-tayn] / meɪnˈteɪn /

verb (used with object)

to keep in existence or continuance; preserve; retain.

to maintain good relations with neighboring countries.

Synonyms:

keep up, continue

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.
to affirm; assert; declare.

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 British

/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

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.

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of maintain

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”; see manual, tenet

Explanation

Maintain means to keep the same––keep steady, keep up, or keep going. Sure, you can ride your bike super fast on a flat surface, but it can be hard to maintain that speed, or keep the same speed, going up a hill. When you maintain a strict study schedule, you stick to it. When you maintain your car in good working order, you take good care of it. If you maintain records of your business activity, it means you make notes of your sales and expenses. If a teacher maintains order in the classroom, she never lets disruptions get out of hand. If you maintain your family, you keep them in food, shelter and clothing. If you maintain that eating animals is cruel, you keep that position.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing maintain

Words That Could Go Either Way: Synonyms for "Maybe"

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Words for Father's Day: What Fathers Do

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

On Your Mark, Get Set, Commence Your Life!

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

maintain maintains maintained maintaining

The system appears to carry fluid and waste away from the back of the eye and into the lymphatic network, which helps the body maintain fluid balance, remove waste, and support immune defenses.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

City, under new head coach Enzo Maresca, arrive at Anfield continuing to maintain their innocence after launching an appeal against the decision of an independent commission to deliver a guilty verdict.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

"If they're going to maintain that presence here, they need to follow the rules. Otherwise, it's hard to feel like we can move forward together."

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

The county has committed that the City of Los Angeles would “at a minimum” maintain its access to the database and matching system, Horvath said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Grandma is suddenly fidgety and can’t maintain eye contact.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

"Understanding how this part of the eye maintains a balanced environment and flow of materials is critical."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

The researchers incorporated four additional factors that can influence whether a plasma reaches and maintains ignition:

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

Madison, 27, opted out of social media, a stance she still maintains today.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Now, with the Aussies back in town, Naicker maintains he would have pounced on the same "fluke" had it been South Africa caught cheating.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The nation maintains its own elected government and has twenty thousand members.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Mamdani thus far seems to have successfully maintained his focus on making New York affordable, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

“Dr. Williams has always maintained that he was acting i self-defense,” Libman wrote in an email.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Jair Bolsonaro, his family and allies have maintained his innocence.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

On Wednesday, Judge I'Ashea Myles ordered that "anything that was in the actual room needs to be preserved and maintained," including IV lines and syringes, as well as waste, such as packaging, inserts and labels.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

It was the only part of the city that maintained a curfew; after sunset, it was closed to the public.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

The renewal is the latest in a series of contract extensions at Chelsea designed to reward established and emerging players while maintaining the club's wage structure.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Both can increase overall vitamin D status, but a growing body of evidence indicates that D3 is generally more effective at raising and maintaining the main form of vitamin D measured in the blood.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

The necessity of maintaining fuel efficiency standards is manifest in California, where about 40% of those emissions come from auto and truck tailpipes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

And the region's leaders pushed throughout the summit this week for oceans and climate finance to be top of the agenda at COP31, as well as maintaining the 1.5C target.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

In addition to maintaining an A average, taking all honors and AP classes, and playing on the volleyball and fencing teams, I had to go to the foundation three days a week, plus Saturdays.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023