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 Midwest is in a particularly bad fuel crunch, because some refineries are offline for maintenance or hampered by other issues.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
Bombardier raised its full-year outlook after strong demand for maintenance and support work lifted revenue and helped generate a sharp rebound in free cash flow.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
For Uber, that solves a key maintenance problem that all robotaxi operators face.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
What we weren’t privy to were those alleged mood swings she mentioned in her breakup post, part of the silent caretaking women perform alongside other household maintenance.
From Salon • Apr. 30, 2026
I like to think I’m not high maintenance or anything, but is it so bad to want some chemistry?
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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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