maintain

[ meyn-teyn ]

/ meɪnˈteɪn /

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See synonyms for: maintain / maintained / maintaining / maintains on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to keep in existence or continuance; preserve; retain: to maintain good relations with neighboring countries.

to keep in an appropriate condition, operation, or force; keep unimpaired:to maintain order; to maintain public highways.

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.

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

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR maintain

1 continue.

1, 2 keep up.

4 asseverate.

5 uphold, defend, vindicate, justify.

See synonyms for maintain on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR maintain

1 discontinue.

5 contradict.

See antonyms for maintain on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

synonym study for maintain

4. 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 WORDS FROM maintain

main·tain·a·ble, adjectivemain·tain·a·bil·i·ty, nounmain·tain·er, nounpre·main·tain, verb (used with object)

self-main·tained, adjectiveself-main·tain·ing, adjectiveun·der·main·tain, verb (used with object)un·der·main·tained, adjectiveun·main·tain·a·ble, adjectiveun·main·tained, adjectivewell-main·tained, adjective

Words nearby maintain

mainstreamer, mainstreaming, mainstream media, main street, mainstreeting, maintain, maintained school, maintainor, maintenance, maintenance and cure, maintenance-free

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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.

How to use maintain in a sentence

Because I wrote a book years ago about the Army-Navy football rivalry and have maintained connections with many from the two schools, I know a lot of veterans.
Mark Cuban had the right idea: It’s time to rethink how we use the national anthem|John Feinstein|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
They are institutions built to hold and maintain power for a political group.
What happens to an entrenched two-party system when one party undermines the system?|Philip Bump|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
One method of maintaining a connection to the person, product or brand that is the target of a boycott is called “moral decoupling.”
MyPillow boycott: How a product can spark an identity crisis|Elizabeth Chang|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Those statements conflict with the union’s efforts to work with the NBA on a scaled-down event, in hopes of salvaging television revenue and maintaining productive relationships with the owners and media partners.
The NBA’s week of controversies show how hard life is outside of the bubble|Ben Golliver|February 12, 2021|Washington Post

Shallal said the Anacostia Busboys and Poets has maintained more revenue during the pandemic than any of the restaurant’s other locations.
Busboys and Poets to launch ‘streatery’ east of the Anacostia River|Michael Brice-Saddler|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Models in Israel will have to maintain a BMI of 18.5 or higher if they want to stay employed.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were just way too aggressive to try and maintain on a farm here,” says Gow of his “Nazi cows.
‘Nazi Cows’ Tried to Kill British Farmer|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
While not all 86 million maintain positions of governance or public service, the Party's machinery runs on watchmaker precision.
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think|Brendon Hong|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was really only one good reason to maintain the embargo: Trade with Cuba strengthens the Castros.
Obama’s One Hand Clap With Castro|Doug McIntyre|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But if the goal is to maintain any hope—grim as it is— for serious negotiations leading to a two state solution.
Why We Should Delay The Israel-Palestinian Peace Process|Aaron David Miller|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The dormant accounts most of the banks maintain with the reserve bank are, perhaps, indicative of their attitude toward it.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
I always maintain that our women are of immense service to us, but many of them are physically unfit.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
But in one respect the currency notes helped to maintain the country's gold standard.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
My own opportunities have been very limited, yet so far as they go they tend to maintain the justice of this remark.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Not one of the early electric actions proved either quick or reliable, and all were costly to install and maintain.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for maintain

maintain

/ (meɪnˈteɪn) /

verb (tr)

to continue or retain; keep in existence

to keep in proper or good conditionto maintain a building

to support a style of livingthe money maintained us for a month

(takes a clause as object) to state or asserthe maintained that Talbot was wrong

to defend against contradiction; upholdshe maintained her innocence

to defend against physical attack

Derived forms of maintain

maintainable, adjectivemaintainer, noun

Word Origin for maintain

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

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

maintain

OTHER WORDS FOR maintain

OPPOSITES FOR maintain

Origin of maintain

synonym study for maintain

OTHER WORDS FROM maintain

Words nearby maintain

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say maintain?

Words related to maintain

How to use maintain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for maintain

Derived forms of maintain

Word Origin for maintain