maintain

maintain — verb

1. to make something stay at a fixed level, amount, or quality over time, so that i

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to make something stay at a fixed level, amount, or quality over time, so that it does not drop or weaken — for example, keeping up prices, standards, friendships, or a positive attitude.

Example

The government is working hard to maintain economic growth despite the global slowdown.

Wren has maintained a close friendship with Tamar since they were in primary school.

Common collocations
  • maintain a relationship
  • maintain a balance
  • maintain standards
  • maintain contact
  • maintain a level
Synonyms
  • keep up

    more informal and common in everyday speech; 'keep up your good work'

  • sustain

    suggests supporting something through difficulty; more formal and less frequent in daily conversation

  • preserve

    emphasises protecting something from change or damage, often for future generations

Antonyms
  • neglect

    to fail to give proper attention to something, causing it to weaken

  • abandon

    to stop trying to keep something going

Grammar Patterns

maintain + noun phrase (level, standard, relationship, etc.)

Usage Note

Commonly used with nouns expressing levels, rates, or qualities — such as growth, relationship, standard, balance, or contact. The focus is on preventing decline, not on creating something new.

Common Mistakes

I want to keep my English level.
I want to maintain my English level.
'keep' is more general; 'maintain' stresses active effort to prevent the level from dropping.
She sustained a close friendship for years.
She maintained a close friendship for years.
'sustain' often implies enduring hardship; 'maintain' is the usual word for keeping friendships going.

2. to regularly check, clean, or repair something such as a vehicle, building, or r

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to regularly check, clean, or repair something such as a vehicle, building, or road so that it stays in good working order and does not break down — for example, servicing a car or painting the window frames before they rot.

Example

Brandon spends every weekend maintaining his vintage car so it runs smoothly.

The city employs a team of workers to maintain the public parks and gardens.

Common collocations
  • maintain a car
  • maintain a building
  • maintain equipment
  • maintain a road
  • properly maintained
  • well maintained
Synonyms
  • service

    more specific to vehicles and machines; implies a routine check by a professional

  • look after

    more informal; can apply to objects, places, or people

  • care for

    suggests attention and effort to keep something in good shape

Antonyms
  • neglect

    to fail to look after something, leading to its deterioration

  • damage

    to physically harm something so it no longer works properly

Grammar Patterns

maintain + noun phrase (car, building, road, machine, etc.)

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive (be maintained) when focusing on the object's condition. Contrast with repair: you maintain something to keep it from breaking; you repair it after it has already broken.

Common Mistakes

I need to repair my car every month to keep it safe.
I need to maintain my car every month to keep it safe.
'repair' means fixing something broken; 'maintain' means preventing it from breaking.
They need to keep the road well.
They need to maintain the road well.
'keep a road' is ungrammatical in this sense; use 'maintain' or 'keep in good condition'.

3. to repeatedly state a claim as factual, particularly when other people disagree,

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to repeatedly state a claim as factual, particularly when other people disagree, doubt it, or present evidence against it — for example, a defendant insisting that they did not commit a crime.

Example

The suspect has always maintained that he was nowhere near the crime scene that night.

maintain + that-clause for insisting on a claim despite doubt

Yumi maintains that regular exercise is the most effective way to reduce stress.

Common collocations
  • maintain that
  • maintain innocence
  • maintain a position
  • maintain a view
  • firmly maintain
  • always maintained
Synonyms
  • assert

    more direct and forceful; often used in formal argument or debate

  • insist

    emphasises repeated statements in the face of disagreement

  • claim

    weaker than 'maintain'; simply states something without implying firm belief

Antonyms
  • deny

    to state that something is not true, the opposite of asserting it

  • concede

    to admit that something is true after previously resisting it

Grammar Patterns

maintain + that-clause

maintain + noun phrase (innocence, position)

Usage Note

Subject is typically a person or organisation whose claim is disputed or doubted. The most common structure is maintain + that-clause. When followed by a direct object (maintain + noun phrase), the noun is usually a belief or position such as innocence, view, or stance.

Common Mistakes

He maintained to be innocent.
He maintained that he was innocent.
'maintain' cannot be followed by a to-infinitive; use a that-clause instead.
She maintained going to the party.
She maintained that she went to the party.
'maintain' is not followed by a gerund; use a that-clause.

4. to supply someone with the money, food, housing, and other things they need to l

4.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to supply someone with the money, food, housing, and other things they need to live, especially for months or years at a time — for example, a person earning enough to cover the costs of raising children or supporting elderly parents.

Example

After their father died, Eshe had to work two jobs to maintain her younger siblings.

The charity was founded to maintain families who lost their homes in the disaster.

Common collocations
  • maintain a family
  • maintain dependants
  • maintain parents
  • maintain a household
Synonyms
  • support

    more common in everyday English; can refer to both financial and emotional care

  • provide for

    slightly more formal; focuses on supplying basic needs

  • keep

    informal and less precise; 'He works hard to keep his family.'

Antonyms
  • abandon

    to leave someone without support

  • neglect

    to fail to provide for someone's basic needs

Grammar Patterns

maintain + noun phrase (family, parents, dependants)

Usage Note

Object is usually a person or group of people (family, children, parents, dependants). Less common than 'support' in everyday speech; 'maintain' in this sense has a more formal or written tone. Not used for one-time gifts — it implies an ongoing obligation.

Common Mistakes

He needs enough money to support his family and maintain himself.' (redundant)
He needs enough money to support his family.
'support' already covers the idea; using both sounds unnatural.
She maintains her friend with a birthday gift.
She maintains her elderly mother by covering her rent.
'maintain' implies ongoing provision of essentials, not one-off gifts.

Word family

  • maintenance
    nounB1
  • maintainable
    adjectiveC1
  • self-maintaining
    adjectiveC2
  • maintainer
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve keeping something going, but they differ in what they focus on. 'Maintain' is the most neutral and practical — it means keeping a level, relationship, or standard from dropping through active effort. 'Keep up' is the everyday equivalent ('keep up the good work'), less formal but similar in meaning. 'Preserve' emphasises protecting something from change or damage, often for its inherent value ('preserve historical buildings', 'preserve traditions'). 'Sustain' implies supporting something through difficulty or over time ('sustain economic growth'), and often carries a sense of endurance. For everyday situations like friendships, fitness, or work habits, 'maintain' or 'keep up' are most natural. For cultural or environmental protection, use 'preserve'. For long-term efforts requiring resources, use 'sustain'.

keep up ↗preserve ↗sustain ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • maintain a relationship
  • maintain contact with
  • maintain the status quo

Prepositions

  • at (maintain at a certain level)
  • in (maintain in good condition)
  • over (maintain over time)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'maintain' entered English from Old French 'maintenir', which came from Latin 'manu tenere' — literally 'to hold in the hand'. 'Manu' (hand) + 'tenere' (to hold) gave the sense of physically holding onto something. Over time the meaning broadened from physical holding to metaphorical keeping — holding onto a standard, a condition, a belief, or a dependent. This hand-holding image is why 'maintain' always carries a sense of active, deliberate effort: you are not just letting something stay, you are holding it there.