Maintenance Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (2024)

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Maintenance Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary? ›

1. : the act of maintaining something or someone: such as. a : the act of keeping property or equipment in good condition by making repairs, correcting problems, etc. The building has suffered from years of poor maintenance. the costs of routine car maintenance.

The work of keeping something in proper condition, care or upkeep including: taking steps to avoid something breaking down (preventative maintenance) and bringing something back to working order (corrective maintenance).

care or upkeep, as of machinery or property: With proper maintenance the car will last for many years. means of upkeep, support, or subsistence; livelihood: to provide a comfortable maintenance.

If you describe something or someone as high-maintenance, you mean that they require a lot of attention, time, money, or effort.

1. : to keep in an existing state (as of repair, efficiency, or validity) : preserve from failure or decline. maintain machinery. 2. : to sustain against opposition or danger : uphold and defend.

care, conservation, preservation, supply, upkeep.

Maintain, the verb related to the noun maintenance, comes from the Latin expression manu tenere meaning literally "hold in the hand," a fitting picture for this word. As well as the upkeep of machines, maintenance can be used with things that need sustaining.

noun. /ˈmeɪntn̩əns/ [uncountable] 1maintenance (of something) the act of keeping something in good condition by checking or repairing it regularly The school pays for heating and the maintenance of the buildings.

I.e. “The building is in need of maintenance” or “maintenance of the area is of utmost importance.” “Maintain" is used when speaking in specific terms i.e. “You need to maintain the cleanliness of the bath area” or “You should maintain your dignity as you go through the process.” Hope this helps.

What does high maintenance mean in a person? ›

of a person : tending to cause problems or demand attention : extremely sensitive, demanding, or temperamental. Playing the victim gets you absolutely nowhere, and it only makes you seem tiring and high-maintenance to your boss.

Maintenance messages are communications that inform users about the temporary unavailability of systems, websites, or other services that they use because of updates or other maintenance. These messages keep users informed about the status of the service or system and the expected duration of the outage.

Put simply, repairs are done after downtime to minimize losses, while maintenance is done to prevent unexpected asset downtime. Both repair and maintenance have the same end goal: to enable you to get the most out of your assets.

: the upkeep of property or equipment.

She was finding it hard to maintain her balance. She still maintains a close relationship with her college roommate. It's difficult to maintain a correspondence when we're both so busy. The pilot was struggling to maintain control of the aircraft.

: to make it possible for life to exist or continue. They barely had enough food to maintain life.

Preventive maintenance – includes regular and periodic (time-based) schedules. Corrective maintenance – occurs when an issue is noticed. Predetermined maintenance – follows a factory schedule. Condition-based maintenance – occurs when a situation or condition indicates maintenance is needed.

What does a Maintenance Worker do? Maintenance Workers keep machines running smoothly. They paint floors, fix plumbing issues and sinks. They also work with heating systems by installing ventilation filters for odor issues that might arise from time to time.