upkeep
Americannoun
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the process or activity of providing an establishment, machine, person, etc., with necessary or proper maintenance, repairs, support, or the like.
The machine's faulty operation shows that no one has attended to its upkeep.
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the total sum of the costs or expenses for this.
noun
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the act or process of keeping something in good repair, esp over a long period; maintenance
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the cost of maintenance
Etymology
Origin of upkeep
Explanation
Upkeep is the process of caring for something so that it keeps working. Changing your car's oil every 5,000 miles is an important part of its upkeep. An actor's monthly visits to the salon for highlights show how much he cares about his hair's upkeep, while a city manager's focus might be on the upkeep of roads and bridges. In either case, there's a kind of maintenance or care involved. Sometimes this noun describes something closer to "financial support," like when a divorcing couple argues about who's responsible for the upkeep of their seven poodles.
Vocabulary lists containing upkeep
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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.
A lifelong animal lover, Kerry also has dogs, cats and a Siamese fighting fish called Gomez - but warned axolotls require careful upkeep.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
Day-to-day upkeep like mowing the lawn, shoveling snow and even basic housekeeping can become burdensome or unsafe as physical limitations increase.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
Fix the fountain — perhaps with help from Project Restore L.A., a nonprofit doing good preservation work at City Hall — and arrange for its permanent upkeep.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
While 1% may cover routine upkeep, 2% to 3% provides a more realistic cushion for expected maintenance, home-improvement projects and unexpected repairs, particularly for older homes, said Angie Hicks, co-founder of home-services company Angi.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
"Let me remind you," Barney Northrup said, "the rent here is cheaper than what your old house costs in upkeep."
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
