maintain

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as in to keep
to pay the living expenses of we simply cannot afford to maintain a horse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb maintain differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of maintain are assert, defend, justify, and vindicate. While all these words mean "to uphold as true, right, just, or reasonable," maintain stresses firmness of conviction.

steadfastly maintained his innocence

When would assert be a good substitute for maintain?

Although the words assert and maintain have much in common, assert suggests determination to make others accept one's claim.

asserted her rights

When could defend be used to replace maintain?

In some situations, the words defend and maintain are roughly equivalent. However, defend implies maintaining in the face of attack or criticism.

defended his voting record

When is it sensible to use justify instead of maintain?

The words justify and maintain can be used in similar contexts, but justify implies showing to be true, just, or valid by appeal to a standard or to precedent.

the action was used to justify military intervention

In what contexts can vindicate take the place of maintain?

The meanings of vindicate and maintain largely overlap; however, vindicate implies successfully defending.

his success vindicated our faith in him

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of maintain This decision comes as many brands face challenges in maintaining physical retail spaces. Essence, 10 Jan. 2025 Competitive in losses: Playing games tight, even in a loss, is so crucial to maintaining how evaluators feel about your tournament capability. Mark Schindler, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025 Read Next: Federal 7mm Backcountry, Tested and Reviewed Respondents were most supportive of maintaining existing season length and tag allocations while maintaining current technology restrictions. Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 10 Jan. 2025 Over the years, this object has been tracked by the US military, which maintains a database of space objects so that active spacecraft can avoid collisions. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for maintain 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maintain
Verb
  • The technology captures moments in time that are then preserved in virtual archives, allowing people like the TikTok creator to visit memories from years past.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism.
    Daniel McFadin, arkansasonline.com, 20 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • At the same time, legacy platforms such as X and Facebook have grown politically polarized, fractured, and out of touch with the users who used to defend them.
    Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2025
  • The 21-year-old — who joined United’s academy from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022 — impressed with his ability to cover large amounts of space when defending against Arsenal in their FA Cup tie on Sunday.
    Carl Anka, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Related Articles As for her glam, Johansson kept it clean and simple.
    Julia Teti, WWD, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Some within the conservative camp have expressed alarm at the party’s embrace of a group that most mainstream conservatives had previously kept at arm’s length, as well as the persecution of legislators who have flouted the party line to support the president’s impeachment and arrest.
    Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Around that time, a few pioneering researchers argued that clinical decision-making should be grounded in the best available evidence.
    Aaron J. Masino, The Conversation, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Fubo sued shortly after the announcement, arguing that Venu violated antitrust rules.
    Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • China has repeatedly insisted that its ability to influence the business is limited to operations outside the U.S. but the Chinese government would have to approve of any sale.
    Phoebe Liu, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Regulators and safety advocates insist the reporting requirement is crucial to understanding how well the technology is working — and is necessary to hold carmakers accountable for deaths and injuries when the technology fails.
    Joel Rose, NPR, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Scarce magazines of Tomahawk missiles can be conserved for the highest-value targets while masses of Barracudas can tackle everything else, and so on.
    David Hambling, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
  • He’s also conserved water by changing his planting patterns, leaving the debris from the prior crop on the soil to limit evaporation.
    Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In his book Orientalism, Edward Said famously revealed the ways that Western literature had depicted Arabs as exotic, backward, irrational, and in need of guidance—portrayals that served, consciously or not, to justify a colonial mindset toward them.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Ignoring basic forest stewardship while crying ‘climate change’ is nothing more than a convenient excuse to justify inaction.
    Danielle B. Franz, National Review, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The 2025 Grammy Awards will still take place on Feb. 2 in Los Angeles and the telecast will raise funds to support wildfire relief efforts.
    Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Imagine an employee responding not just with their job description, but by sharing their passion, pride and how their work supports the organization’s goals.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near maintain

Cite this Entry

“Maintain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maintain. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

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