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.
The government is seeking unspecified damages and to require the utility to develop an enhanced operations and maintenance plan for its sewer lines.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
While Aer Lingus said the cancellations are because of aircraft maintenance, the travel journalist Simon Calder believes it could reflect the larger challenges many airlines are facing.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
This would harm construction, brokerage, interior design, maintenance and high-end retail — real-estate-related industries that support thousands of jobs — undermining NYC’s status as a global wealth hub.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026
Guests whose reservations were canceled were given false explanations such as plumbing or maintenance problems, or were sent to alternate rental locations.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
I followed, and we tucked ourselves into the tiny maintenance bay we’d used the last time we were almost caught by security.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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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