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.
She said she and her brother were forced to slash the asking price by £70,000 while continuing to pay rising maintenance charges, management fees and council tax on the empty property in Epsom.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Experts say even a partial halt in Samsung's operations could prove damaging -- though the union argues that production stoppages have already occurred in the past for reasons related to maintenance and equipment inspections.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
A pelican, with an oversized bucket-like beak, was in need of last-minute maintenance.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
The FAA can also step in to order maintenance or to ground planes if regulators find a hazardous condition isn’t being addressed.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Every system of control depends for its survival on the tangible and intangible benefits that are provided to those who are responsible for the system’s maintenance and administration.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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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