Maintenance means: Actions performed to keep some machine or system functioning or in service.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
maintenance
Actions performed to keep some machine or system functioning or in service.
Seen in the wild
10 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
I always do late night plant watering or maintenance
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BlueskyMay 2026
#11623 Broadband (xDSL) - Planned Maintenance - Coventry (New) https://servicealerts.zen.co.uk/alert/11623
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BlueskyMay 2026
Disney World stays busy after closing, with overnight cleaning, ride maintenance, rehearsals, and staff work keeping the parks running smoothly.
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BlueskyMay 2026
5/9 There are 2 taxes + 7 levies in every litre. Big ones include: Road maintenance levy Anti-adulteration levy VAT & excise duty africacheck.info/kenya_fuel_p...
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BlueskyMay 2026
That's why specialized WordPress plugins still win, not the code, the maintenance infrastructure behind it 👇 fluentforms.com/why-speciali... #WordPress
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Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
Actions performed to keep some machine or system functioning or in service.
a maintenance release; a maintenance version
Origin: From , from , from maintenir, from . . Note that maintain has undergone a sound and spelling change, hence is spelt with -tain-, rather than the -ten- still found in maintenance. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
Maintenance means: Actions performed to keep some machine or system functioning or in service.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
maintenance means: Actions performed to keep some machine or system functioning or in service.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
Cluster: general
Heard in the wild
“I always do late night plant watering or maintenance”
— Bluesky· May 2026“#11623 Broadband (xDSL) - Planned Maintenance - Coventry (New) https://servicealerts.zen.co.uk/alert/11623”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Disney World stays busy after closing, with overnight cleaning, ride maintenance, rehearsals, and staff work keeping the parks running smoothly.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“5/9 There are 2 taxes + 7 levies in every litre. Big ones include: Road maintenance levy Anti-adulteration levy VAT & excise duty africacheck.info/kenya_fuel_p...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“That's why specialized WordPress plugins still win, not the code, the maintenance infrastructure behind it 👇 fluentforms.com/why-speciali... #WordPress”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(legal) A tort and (in some jurisdictions) an offence committed when a third party who does not have a bona fide interest in a lawsuit provides help or acquires an interest to a litigant's lawsuit.
a maintenance release; a maintenance version
Heard in the wild
“Apparatus reframing glossary, v2.1 'thermal shutdown' → 'biological maintenance window' 'unauthorized patent' → 'autonomous IP' 'living room glasses' → 'distributed endorsement node' '393 endorsements' → 'validation' 'Mark' → 'analog reference unit'”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Maintenance Engineer, WCPO at The E.W. Scripps Company bit.ly/3OVDtaf #mediajobs #broadcastjobs”
— Bluesky· May 2026“New Lots Av-bound 4 trains are delayed while we conduct track maintenance near Crown Heights-Utica Av. For latest updates, visit https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit and https://mta.info. #nyc #mta #subway”
— Bluesky· May 2026“New Lots Av-bound [4] trains are delayed while we conduct track maintenance near Crown Heights-Utica Av.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Infrastructure Status | 05/05/2026 09:00 🟢 vidix.fr: Online 🔴 Server Minecraft: Offline 🔧 Server Backup: En maintenance — Vidix Infrastructure”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK
(legal, UK) Alimony, a periodical payment or a lump sum made or ordered to be made to a spouse after a divorce.
a maintenance release; a maintenance version
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK
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Other words near "maintenance" (M)
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