maintain

From Wiktionary

Pronunciation[change]

Verb[change]

Plain form
maintain

Third-person singular
maintains

Past tense
maintained

Past participle
maintained

Present participle
maintaining

Maintain is on the Academic Vocabulary List.
  1. (transitive) If you maintain something, you keep it at the same level.
    Who's more likely to maintain the status quo?
    UN forces will be used to help maintain stability in the area after the war.
    It's so important to maintain balance in all areas of your life.
    Vitamin B12 helps maintain healthy red blood cells in the body.
    Cook, maintaining a temperature of 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
  2. (transitive) If you maintain something, you say or write that it's a fact.
    Ford maintains the cars are safe.
    They have all hired lawyers and all three maintain their innocence.
  3. (transitive) If you maintain a machine, you keep it working well and fix it when it breaks.
    There was lots of money to buy the machines, but no money was available to maintain them.

Synonyms[change]

Related words[change]