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maintain

Pronunciation: /meɪnˈteɪn, mənˈteɪn/

Translate maintain | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of maintain

verb

[with object]
  • 1cause or enable (a condition or situation) to continue:the need to maintain close links between industry and schools
  • keep (something) at the same level or rate:agricultural prices will have to be maintained
  • keep (a building, machine, or road) in good condition by checking or repairing it regularly: the Department for Transport is responsible for maintaining the main roads in England
  • 2provide with necessities for life or existence:the allowance covers the basic costs of maintaining a child
  • keep (a military unit) supplied with equipment and other requirements: an English garrison was maintained there in the seventeenth century
  • archaic give one’s support to; uphold:the king swears he will maintain the laws of God
  • 3 [reporting verb] state something strongly to be the case; assert: [with object]:he has always maintained his innocence [with clause]:he had persistently maintained that he would not stand against his old friend

Derivatives

maintainability

Pronunciation: /-ˈbɪlɪti/

noun

maintainable

adjective

Origin:

Middle English (also in the sense 'practise an action habitually'): from Old French maintenir, from Latin manu tenere 'hold in the hand'

maintain in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of maintain in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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