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.
In response, the college cut supplies, maintenance, travel, meals and offered incentives for employees to leave, the school paper reported.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
A statement issued by Universities UK on behalf of the institutions caught up in the row said they were "extremely concerned" that thousands of maintenance loan payments to students had been "abruptly blocked".
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
By comparison, $125 million was “a bargain for the county,” said Govan, “Because they had the liability of ownership of those buildings and the deferred maintenance was extraordinary.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
"This signal that the threat to international waterways can pass without any decisive action by the international organization responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security," he said.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
It was hard to provide maintenance for the Yaks there, since the rest of the regiment flew a different type of plane.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
