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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Origin of maintain

1200–50; Middle English mainteinen<Old French maintenir ≪ Medieval Latin manūtenēre,Latin manū tenēre literally, to hold in hand, equivalent to manū, ablative of manus hand (see manual) + tenēre to hold (see 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

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

How to use maintain in a sentence

As Darcy points out, the strategy Fox has always used to maintain the loyalty of its viewers — telling them that every other news source is fatally infected with liberal bias — is now being deployed by those minor-league outlets against Fox itself.
The Republican Party’s future: Being terrorized by its unhinged base|Paul Waldman|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Based on contact tracing and genomic sequencing, league officials maintain they have seen no evidence of on-field transmission of the virus during games.
Pennsylvania says all athletes must wear masks while playing. The Steelers say they’re exempt.|Matt Bonesteel|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Several states maintain school-level data dashboards that provide information on infections among students and staff who attend in-person school.
Schools are not spreading covid-19. This new data explains why.|Emily Oster|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
He said that “there is leadership in place” and that the facility meets department guidelines of maintaining an 8-to-1 ratio for staff and youths.
Smithsonian museums, zoo to close as coronavirus caseload in D.C. region hits record for 16th day|Dana Hedgpeth, Ovetta Wiggins|November 19, 2020|Washington Post

People should maintain six feet of distance at all times from people from other households.
CDC recommends against Thanksgiving travel amid surge of coronavirus cases|Brittany Shammas|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
But the proud stone lion that once stood atop the tomb, as Peristeri has often maintained, suggests a male occupant and a warrior.
Is This Alexander the Great’s Tomb—or His Wife’s?|James Romm|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He has been summoned from the command post the NYPD has maintained for a decade just up the street.
Synagogue Slay: When Cops Have to Kill|Michael Daly|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He does not seem to have anticipated that she could have maintained such remarkable presence of mind.
Rape, Lies & Videotape in Ferguson|Michael Daly|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“A nation of homeowners, of people who own a real share in their land, is unconquerable,” he maintained.
The Progressives’ War on Suburbia|Joel Kotkin|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Despite any partisan enmities, the two top politicos maintained a cordial relationship.
The McConnell Friend Obama Just Hired|Jonathan Miller|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
El Imparcial maintained that he was worthy of being honoured as a 19th century conquering hero.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
The battle was for a long time maintained by both armies with obstinate energy.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
With that sum, twice as much infantry could be maintained as that which your Majesty has here.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
This was when Don Joan Ronquillo, with that great fleet, went out and fought the one that the enemy maintained along these coasts.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
The latter maintained their ground, but no important advantage was gained by either party.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

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 related to maintain

How to use maintain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for maintain

Derived forms of maintain

Word Origin for maintain