Meaning & use
maintenance
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The regular work needed to keep a building, machine or road in good condition.
Grammar: No an or plural: the maintenance of the bridge.
Patterns
- maintenance of something
- routine maintenance
The elevator is closed for maintenance.
Regular maintenance keeps the car running smoothly.
The school pays for building maintenance every year.
noununcountableformal
The act of keeping something going at the same level or in the same state.
Grammar: Followed by of: the maintenance of peace.
Patterns
- maintenance of something
The maintenance of peace requires constant effort.
Good maintenance of friendships takes time.
The goal is the maintenance of current standards.
noununcountablelegalBritish
Money that a person must pay regularly to support a former partner or children after separation.
Grammar: Often appears in legal contexts; American English often says alimony or child support.
Patterns
- pay maintenance
- maintenance payments
He pays maintenance for his two children.
The court ordered monthly maintenance payments.
She applied for maintenance after the divorce.
Common combinations
- routine maintenance
- Routine maintenance includes oil changes and tire checks.
- maintenance work
- Maintenance work will close the road overnight.
- maintenance costs
- The maintenance costs of an old house can be high.
- low maintenance
- Cacti are low maintenance plants.
- maintenance staff
- Maintenance staff fixed the broken heating.
Synonyms and how they differ
- upkeep
- Upkeep is a more everyday word and focuses on the cost or effort of keeping something in good order.
- repair
- Repair means fixing something already broken, while maintenance is regular work that prevents breakdowns.
- servicing
- Servicing means a scheduled check of a machine, which is narrower than maintenance.
- preservation
- Preservation means protecting something from damage or loss, often something historic.
Opposites
Word family
- maintain verb
- to keep in good condition or continue
- maintainable adjective
- able to be kept in good condition
- maintainer noun
- a person who keeps something working
- unmaintained adjective
- not kept in good order
Commonly confused: maintenance or maintenance?
maintenance vs maintenance
Often misspelled as maintainance; remember the noun is spelled with -tenance, unlike the verb maintain.
Practice
The correct spelling of the noun that comes from the verb maintain is ______.
Choose one answer.
The noun is spelled maintenance, with -tenance. The other forms are common misspellings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “maintenance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.