Word of the Day: Maintain
To maintain something is to clean it, fix it, watch it, or keep it.
- A person who maintains his or her composure doesn’t get upset.
- To properly maintain your car, it’s necessary to change the oil regularly.
- Our car is maintained by a local mechanic.
- Brad and Zahra maintain a good relationship following their divorce.
- Our cat has been maintaining a careful watch over an area of the house where mice sometimes enter.
- The baseball team maintained a lead over the other team for most of the game, but then lost it at the end.
- President Obama maintains a good amount of respect from leaders around the world.
- Maintaining political stability around the world is an important part of the President’s job. (In this sentence “maintaining” is a gerund.)
The word “maintenance” is a noun:
- It’s important to keep up on the maintenance of a car if you want it to run properly.
- Darrel says his wife requires a lot of maintenance. (This is said of a person who needs a lot of attention and patience.)
- You can refer to the owner’s guide for the proper maintenance of a lawnmower.
- The maintenance man in our building knows how to fix anything. (The word “maintenance” is used as an adjective in this sentence to describe “man.”)
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with M page to see the list of all words starting with letter M. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
