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 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
This is usually followed by a maintenance dose of 3-5 grams per day.
From Science Daily • May 4, 2026
For Uber, that solves a key maintenance problem that all robotaxi operators face.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
For decades, shipbuilding was underfunded, while maintenance, dry docks and munitions also lagged.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
To augment the small income from the service station, C.P. got a job as an unskilled maintenance worker at Duke University.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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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