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
The parts market is now in what Advance Auto considers a “shoulder period” between tax refunds and peak summer driving, making it difficult to gauge how much of consumers’ budgets will go to car maintenance.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
“These persistent problems highlight the need for sustained investment and maintenance to improve the area’s environmental health,” the report states.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Kuwaiti officials say the closure of oil infrastructure allows for overdue maintenance.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
“Daddy is on his way. He had to do some maintenance work on the boat, and it took longer than expected. But don’t worry, he’ll be here soon.”
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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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