DictionaryAI

maintain

verb
mayn-TAYN/meɪnˈteɪn/

Formsmaintains, maintaining, maintained

5 meanings of maintain

Practice

  1. 1
    keep the sameverbtransitive
    To keep something in the same state or condition; to preserve or uphold it.

    Governments work hard to maintain order during a crisis.

    He maintained his composure even as the bad news kept arriving.

    UsageCommon phrases: maintain contact with someone, maintain good relations with a neighbor.

    Similarkeep, preserve, sustain, uphold, retain

    Note

    The hand is still inside this verb. Old French maintenir comes from Late Latin manū tenēre, "to hold by the hand", and this sense keeps the picture of holding something steady so it does not slip. Its natural objects are conditions that would lapse without effort: contact, order, a relationship, good posture. The word's other meanings, from asserting a claim to repairing a road, are all ways of holding on.

    Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Old French maintenir derives from Late Latin manūtenēre, combining elements meaning 'hand' and 'hold'; 'to hold by the hand' expresses its literal formation. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 2
    keep in repairverbtransitive
    To keep something in good condition and working order through regular care.

    The city pays crews to maintain the bridges and tunnels.

    Technicians maintained the aircraft engines according to a strict schedule.

    UsageThe noun is spelled maintenance (not incorrect: maintainance): regular maintenance of the bridges.

    Similarservice

    Oppositeneglect

    Note

    Here maintaining means labor. Cecil J. Allen, writing in 1946, praises the men who kept railway track "in such first-class order" despite shortages of men and materials. The difference from keeping a state steady lies in the object. Order or composure can be maintained by restraint, but a track, a bridge or an engine wears out and has to be maintained by work.

    Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Cecil J. Allen wrote the cited passage in 1946, in 'British Locomotive Practice and Performance', Railway Magazine, July–August, page 213. en.wiktionary.org
    • Allen praises those maintaining railway track despite shortages of men and materials, using the exact words 'in such first-class order'. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    insistverbtransitive
    To declare or affirm something to be true; to assert it firmly.

    The witness maintained that she had seen the suspect leave.

    Critics maintain the policy will do more harm than good.

    UsageUsually maintain that + a clause, and that is often left out; also maintain your innocence.

    Similarclaim, insist, assert, contend, argue

    Oppositedeny

    Note

    Here what is held steady is a claim rather than a condition. It suggests keeping to a position that others may dispute: traditionalists "will no doubt maintain" their view. Assert can describe a single statement, while maintain implies sticking to it.

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    pay forverbtransitive
    To provide for a person or household financially by meeting the costs of food, housing, and other necessities.

    Few factory workers in the town earned enough to maintain a family of five.

    On a teacher's salary, she maintained herself and her younger brother through his college years.

    Similarsupport

  2. 5
    verbobsoletetransitive
    To stand behind someone and help or support them in what they are doing.
    Note

    This lost sense gave support to a person rather than to a thing. Malory's Le Morte Darthur (1485) has a hermit leave his hermitage "for to mayntene his neuewe ageynst the myghty Erle", which means backing a kinsman in a fight. Paying for someone's keep, as in Swift's 1726 "thirty pounds a year to maintain me at Leyden", is a different use and still current: the "provide for" meaning.

    Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

    • Le Morte Darthur is by Thomas Malory and was first published in 1485. en.wikipedia.org
    • The quoted Middle English wording occurs in Malory's work. en.wiktionary.org
    • The passage describes a hermit leaving his hermitage to support his nephew against an earl. gutenberg.org
    • The Swift work containing the quotation, Gulliver's Travels, was first published in 1726. en.wikipedia.org
    • The quotation specifies thirty pounds annually for upkeep at Leyden; its first-person narrator is Lemuel Gulliver. gutenberg.org

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of maintain apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Middle English mayntenen, from Old French maintenir, which goes back to Late Latin manūteneō ('I support'). This was formed from Latin manū ('with the hand') and tenēre ('to hold').

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  • Maintain comes from Middle English mayntenen, from Old French maintenir. en.wiktionary.org
  • The etymology traces the word to Late Latin manūteneō, meaning 'I support'. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Latin formation combines manū, 'with the hand', and tenēre, 'to hold'. en.wiktionary.org