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verb (used with object)
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.
EXPANDto 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.
COLLAPSEto sustain or support: not enough water to maintain life.
Origin:
1200–50; Middle English mainteinen < Old French maintenir ≪ Medieval Latin manūtenēre, Latin manū tenēre literally, to hold in hand, equivalent to manū, ablative of manus hand (see manual) + tenēre to hold (see tenet)
1200–50; Middle English mainteinen < Old French maintenir ≪ Medieval Latin manūtenēre, Latin manū tenēre literally, to hold in hand, equivalent to manū, ablative of manus hand (see manual) + tenēre to hold (see tenet)
Related forms
main·tain·a·ble, adjective
main·tain·a·bil·i·ty, noun
main·tain·er, noun
pre·main·tain, verb (used with object)
self-main·tained, adjective
EXPANDself-main·tain·ing, adjective
un·der·main·tain, verb (used with object)
un·der·main·tained, adjective
un·main·tain·a·ble, adjective
un·main·tained, adjective
well-main·tained, adjective
COLLAPSESynonyms
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. 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.
Antonyms
1. discontinue. 5. contradict.
1. discontinue. 5. contradict.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Maintain
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
Example Sentences
- Winton's intention is to maintain the countercultural spirit of the press.
- If you find relationships challenging to cultivate and maintain, then you are in good company.
- Smaller bodies are easier to feed, maintain and move.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
maintain
mid-13c., "to practice habitually," from Anglo-Fr. meintenir (O.Fr. maintenir), from L. manu tenere "hold in the hand," from manu, abl. of manus "hand" (see manual) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Meaning "to carry on, keep up" is from mid-14c.;
EXPANDthat of "to keep oneself, to support" is from late 14c. Sense of "to defend in speech" is from mid-14c. Related: Maintained; maintaining; maintains.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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