verb · neutral
maintain
/meɪnˈteɪn/main·TAIN
Band 7+task2speaking
To keep in existence or continuance; to keep up; to preserve or retain
Examples
“The university must maintain high academic standards.”
“Regular servicing helps maintain the machine's performance.”
“In Speaking you can say you 'maintain a balance' between study and leisure.”
Band 8 sentence
“To maintain educational quality amid budget cuts, the college prioritized teacher training and targeted resource allocation.”
Collocations
- maintain standards
- maintain a balance
- maintain equipment
Word family
maintain verbmaintenance nounmaintainer noun
Common mistakes
maintain to improve→maintain in order to improve
keep maintain the level→maintain the level
Say it for a higher band
5keep→6continue→7+maintain
Synonyms
preserve
sustain
Easily confused
sustain
“Without funding, the programme cannot sustain its activities.”
Related words
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In Sublist 4
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