maintain

main|tain [ meın`teın ] verb ***

▸ 1 keep something the same

▸ 2 keep in good condition

▸ 3 keep saying something

▸ 4 provide money etc.

▸ 5 not get angry

1. ) transitive to make something stay the same: KEEP:

Maintaining your current weight through exercise and healthy eating is important.

It's sometimes hard to maintain the right balance between your work and your home life.

maintain stability/continuity/the status quo: the problem of maintaining social stability in a period of great economic change

a ) to continue to communicate with someone and not allow a relationship to end:

maintain contact/relations/links: Though now in government, he has maintained close contact with his former colleagues in the oil industry.

b ) to make sure that something stays at the same level, rate, or standard:

Some schools experienced difficulty in maintaining staffing levels.

Regular inspections ensure that high safety standards are maintained.

2. ) transitive to make regular repairs to a building, road, vehicle, etc. so that it stays in good condition:

a lovingly maintained houseboat

3. ) transitive to continue to say that something is true, even if other people do not believe you: ASSERT:

The missile system, Bush maintains, will protect the U.S. against so-called rogue states.

maintain (that): The company still maintains that the drug is safe.

maintain your innocence: She maintained her innocence throughout the trial.

4. ) transitive to provide someone with the money and other things that they need in order to live:

He was barely earning enough to maintain himself.

5. ) intransitive AMERICAN SPOKEN to deal with a difficult situation without becoming angry