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⇱ maintain - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

maintain

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/meɪnˈteɪn/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/meɪnˈteɪn/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(mān tān′)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
main•tain /meɪnˈteɪn/USA pronunciation   v. 
  1. to keep in existence; preserve:[~ + object]maintained their friendship for over forty years.
  2. to keep in a certain condition, operation, or force:[~ + object]to maintain an even temperature.
  3. to state or declare:[~ + (that) clause]maintained that he had been home all night.
  4. to support in argument:[~ + object]maintained her innocence in spite of the evidence.
  5. to provide for the upkeep or support of:[~ + object]Is that salary enough to maintain a family?
main•tain•a•ble, adj. 
main•te•nance /ˈmeɪntənəns/USA pronunciation  n. [uncountable]See -tain-, -man-1.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
main•tain  (mān tān′),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  1. to keep in existence or continuance;
    preserve;
    retain:to maintain good relations with neighboring countries.
  2. to keep in an appropriate condition, operation, or force;
    keep unimpaired:to maintain order; to maintain public highways.
  3. to keep in a specified state, position, etc.:to maintain a correct posture; to maintain good health.
  4. to affirm;
    assert;
    declare:He maintained that the country was going downhill.
  5. to support in speech or argument, as a statement or proposition.
  6. to keep or hold against attack:to maintain one's ground.
  7. to provide for the upkeep or support of;
    carry the expenses of:to maintain a family.
  8. to sustain or support:not enough water to maintain life.
  • Old French maintenir
  • Middle English mainteinen 1200–50
main•tain′a•ble, adj. 
main•tain′a•bil′i•ty, n. 
main•tain′er, n. 
    1. continue. 1. 2. keep up. 4. asseverate. Maintain, assert, aver, allege, hold, state all mean to express an opinion, judgment, or position. Maintain carries the implications of both firmness and persistence in declaring or supporting a conviction:She maintained her client's innocence even in the face of damaging evidence.Assert suggests assurance, confidence, and sometimes aggressiveness in the effort to persuade others to agree with or accept one's position:He asserted again and again the government's right to control the waterway.Aver, like assert, implies confident declaration and sometimes suggests a firmly positive or peremptory tone; in legal use aver means "to allege as fact'':to aver that the evidence is incontrovertible.Allege indicates a statement without evidence to support it, and thus can imply doubt as to the validity or accuracy of an assertion:The official is alleged to have been unaware of the crime.Hold means simply to have or express a conviction or belief:We hold these truths to be self-evident; She held that her rights had been violated.State usually suggests a declaration that is forthright and unambiguous:He stated his reasons in clear, simple language. 5. uphold, defend, vindicate, justify. 7. See support. 
    1. discontinue. 5. contradict.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
maintain /meɪnˈteɪn/ vb (transitive)
  1. to continue or retain; keep in existence
  2. to keep in proper or good condition
  3. to support a style of living: the money maintained us for a month
  4. (takes a clause as object) to state or assert: he maintained that Talbot was wrong
  5. to defend against contradiction; uphold: she maintained her innocence
  6. to defend against physical attack
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French maintenir, ultimately from Latin manū tenēre to hold in the handmainˈtainable adj mainˈtainer n
'maintain' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: maintain a [friendship, relationship], maintain a [close, cordial, intimate] relationship, maintain your [car, house], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "maintain" in the title:

...maintain that...
'maintain this information in your memory' [Remember?]
a must for you to maintain
A plan for the forest he helps maintain that could (relative clause coupled with a PP acting as an adjective)
allocate more money to maintain/maintaining
and highly (skilled) workers are needed to maintain and repair the equipment.
assists the director in <maintain / maintaining> the intention
Bear a grudge: Maintain resentment or anger against someone for a past offense
because if he did not maintain this ruse, he would not have been able to talk to him
comma use: maintain its poise, standing, in a drafty time, erect,...
conclude (obtain) and maintain (keep in force) insurance?
continue to maintain as a crucial player role in this industry worldwide.
Difference between sustain/perpetuate/maintain/preserve
duty to maintain and support a child
embed and maintain
He wants to maintain a high class.
How long can Apple maintain...its status
I can still maintain my footing.
I maintain my mother vs I am maintaining my mother.
I'm trying to maintain
In order to, to maintain.
initiate, maintain, and achieve the benefits of...
insist and maintain
Intransitive synonym of "maintain"
It's difficult to maintain a friendship [complex sentence? infinitive phrase/clause]
keep / maintain / hold correspondence with someone
keep order; maintain order
keep track of /or maintain medication schedule
Keep vs maintain
keep, maintain, stay
more...

Look up "maintain" at Merriam-Webster
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