verb · neutral
maintain
/meɪnˈteɪn/main·TAIN
Band 6-7task2speakingtask1
to keep something at the same level or in the same condition; to continue to have or to keep
Examples
“The council must maintain public services despite budget cuts.”
“Researchers maintain that more evidence is needed.”
“He maintains his car carefully to prevent breakdowns.”
Band 8 sentence
“To ensure long-term resilience, policymakers must maintain infrastructure investment even during economic downturns.”
Collocations
- maintain public services
- maintain that + clause
- maintenance of
Word family
maintain verbmaintenance noun
Common mistakes
maintain to do something→maintain that / maintain something
do maintenance→perform maintenance / carry out maintenance
Say it for a higher band
5keep→6preserve→7+maintain
Synonyms
preserve
Easily confused
preserve
“Local groups work to preserve historical buildings.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 5
Learn it with its set