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.
On its website, Instructure said Thursday afternoon that it had put Canvas “in maintenance mode.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
As the pandemic receded, carriers including Spirit and Frontier Airlines held fares low to maintain a competitive advantage, despite rising labor and maintenance costs.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
The results point to an unexpected role for genes typically associated with basic cellular maintenance, suggesting they can also influence key metabolic traits in fruit.
From Science Daily • May 5, 2026
The government announced £7.3bn for local road maintenance for the next four years, along with rules which could see some funding upheld from those councils unable to prove they are fixing potholes.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
I was hoping to go to the pool for an hour of extra practice, especially now that the meet is only six weeks away, but it’s closed for maintenance.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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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