maintenance

noun main·te·nance \ˈmānt-nən(t)s, ˈmān-tə-nən(t)s\

Definition of MAINTENANCE

: the act of maintaining : the state of being maintained : support

: something that maintains

: the upkeep of property or equipment

: an officious or unlawful intermeddling in a legal suit by assisting either party with means to carry it on

See maintenance defined for English-language learners

See maintenance defined for kids

Examples of MAINTENANCE

Soon he could take an Underwood apart and put it together blindfolded, a trick that won him the account for maintenance of all the typewriters at Columbia-Presbyterian hospital … —Ian Frazier, Atlantic, November 1997
The new machine made the sharecropper system that had replaced slavery obsolete, and the maintenance of segregation and terror unnecessary. —C. Vann Woodward, New York Times Book Review, 24 Feb. 1991
But the apartments they actually leased sat directly across Wayne Avenue—minus the gardens and the careful maintenance that existed when white families had lived there. —Gloria Naylor, Linden Hills, 1985
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Origin of MAINTENANCE

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from maintenir (see maintain)

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to MAINTENANCE

Synonyms: care and feeding, conservation, conserving, keep, preservation, preserving, sustentation, upkeep

MAINTENANCE Defined for Kids

maintenance

noun main·te·nance \ˈmān-tə-nəns\

Definition of MAINTENANCE for Kids

: the act of keeping or providing for : the state of being kept or provided for <One of government's jobs is the maintenance of law and order.> <We collected money for the family's maintenance.>

: upkeep <Workers in charge of maintenance painted the building.>

Medical Dictionary

maintenance

adjective main·te·nance \ˈmānt-nən(t)s, -^ən-ən(t)s\

Medical Definition of MAINTENANCE

: designed or adequate to maintain a patient in a stable condition : serving to maintain a gradual process of healing or to prevent a relapse <a maintenance dose> <maintenance chemotherapy>