main‧tain S2 W1 AC / meɪnteɪn, mən- / 动词 [及物动词]
1 make something continue to make something continue in the same way or at the same standard as before :
Careers Officers maintain contact with young people when they have left school.
Britain wants to maintain its position as a world power.
A lot depends on building and maintaining a good relationship with your customers.
The hotel prides itself on maintaining high standards.
How can we maintain control of spending?
2 level/rate to make a level or rate of activity, movement etc stay the same :
It is important to maintain a constant temperature inside the greenhouse.
This is the most efficient way to build up and maintain a reasonable level of physical fitness.
3 say to strongly express your belief that something is true 同义词 claim
maintain (that)
Critics maintain that these reforms will lead to a decline in educational standards.
maintain your innocence (= say that you did not commit a crime )
He maintained his innocence and said the allegations were ‘ridiculous’.
4 look after something to keep a machine, building etc in good condition by checking and repairing it regularly :
The report found that safety equipment had been very poorly maintained.
The company is responsible for maintaining public telephone boxes.
5 provide money/food to provide someone with the things they need, such as money or food 同义词 provide for :
How can you maintain a family on $900 a month?
THESAURUS
claim to say that something is true, even though it has not been proved : He claims that he didn’t see anything. | She claims to be a descendant of Charles Dickens.
allege to claim that someone did something wrong or illegal, although you do not give any proof : It is alleged that he murdered his wife. | Patients allege that the two firms failed to warn doctors about the dangers of taking the drugs over a long period.
maintain to repeatedly say that something is true, especially when other people do not believe you : He continued to maintain his innocence, even after he was sent to prison. | My mother always maintains that I learned to talk at six months.
insist to say very firmly that something is true : She insists that Tom was there, although he denies it. | Turkey insists that there is more than enough water in the two rivers for all three countries.
assert formal to state that something is true – used especially in formal writing when reporting someone’s opinion : They assert that children work better on their own. | The Environment Minister asserted that one third of the country’s cities had major pollution problems.
contend formal to claim that something is true, especially when other people disagree with you : Lawyers contend that his back problems were due to an existing injury, not the accident. | It is possible, as Kennedy contends, that her medical condition is caused by her work.