maintenance
Usage
What are other ways to say maintenance?
Generally, maintenance refers to care or upkeep, as of machinery or property. But sometimes, maintenance refers to what is spent for the living of another: to provide for the maintenance or support of someone. Maintenance occasionally refers to the allowance itself provided for livelihood: They are entitled to a maintenance from this estate. Living and livelihood (a somewhat more formal word), both refer to what one earns to keep (oneself) alive, but are seldom interchangeable within the same phrase: to earn one's living; to threaten one's livelihood. “To make a living” suggests making just enough to keep alive, and is particularly frequent in the negative: You cannot make a living out of that. “To make a livelihood out of something” suggests rather making a business of it: to make a livelihood out of knitting hats.
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.
Chips, memory, networking, buildings, software and maintenance all have to be paid for.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Effective muscle maintenance requires both processes to work together.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
These can be seen on the tarmac at Kisangani's airport, dressed in green fatigues and carrying out maintenance on military aircraft.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Caltrans said the deck replacement is necessary to preserve the structural integrity of the bridge and improve safety for maintenance workers, truck drivers and the traveling public.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The following year he joined a campaign to unionize the maintenance staff at Duke, where he worked.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Vocabulary lists containing maintenance
Freak the Mighty
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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