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.
If you lack the expertise, time or inclination to market the property, handle repairs and maintenance, and field tenant calls, you can hire help.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
In response, Saracens chief executive Ed Coetzee says the surface is kept under "constant review" and meets all maintenance and safety criteria.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
During sleep, the brain performs essential maintenance functions, including strengthening memories and removing waste products that accumulate during waking hours.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
His neighborhood last flooded about five years ago, he said, and the city’s constant maintenance helped protect homes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Next to the culvert, a dusty maintenance yard ran all the way back into the shadows under the four-lane bridge.
From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers
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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