maintenance

American  

[meyn-tuh-nuhns] / ˈmeɪn tə nəns /

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.

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adjective

1. Pharmacology, Psychiatry. administered to sustain a desired physiological or mental condition.

   maintenance dose.

maintenance British  

/ 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

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Usage

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."

Other Word Forms

• nonmaintenance noun
• premaintenance noun
• self-maintenance noun

Etymology

Origin of maintenance

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English maintenaunce, from Middle French maintenance; equivalent to maintain + -ance

Example Sentences

On Thursday, the company reported the results of a study showing that orforglipron could work well as a maintenance therapy, helping them to keep their weight off after losing it on Wegovy or Zepbound.

From Barron's

Momentum in the mobile segment is expected to be sustained into 4Q, while the broadband business could see weakness from repair and maintenance of flood-damaged areas in Thailand.

From The Wall Street Journal

Edison failed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars authorized for transmission line maintenance and upgrades before January’s fires while continuing to bill customers for the work.

From Los Angeles Times

In interviews, Edison executives disputed that maintenance on the company’s transmission lines suffered before Jan. 7.

From Los Angeles Times

Typically, homeowners associations are private organizations that oversee the maintenance and management of residential communities, including gated neighborhoods, condo buildings, and co-ops, and handle everything from repairs to communal amenities to trash pickup.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• care
• conservation
• preservation
• supply
• upkeep