maintain with

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "maintain with" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It is not typically used in standard English, and it may confuse readers due to its awkward construction. Example: "We need to maintain with the current standards" would be better phrased as "We need to maintain the current standards."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"It's whether Philly will be able to maintain with injuries and turnover.

The New York Times - Sports

(The print industry's decline commenced, I maintain, with my retirement from that gig).

The New Yorker

"Israel has a reputation to maintain with intelligence services worldwide," he said.

The New York Times

On a more practical note: let's make them easy to maintain, with water pressure adequate to fill our reusable bottles.

The New York Times

The prime minister's allies maintain with equal vigour that he is avoiding such confrontations for "Tory unity reasons".

The Guardian - Opinion

In fact, the Premier League's success is explained by the close ties clubs maintain with their fans.

The Economist

Indeed, tackling rabies on the subcontinent is challenging because the relationships that Indian dogs maintain with humans are ancient.

The New York Times

That patchiness might be hard to maintain with a maintenance program of understory burning patterned after natural fire regimes.

Forest Ecology and Management

This off-and-on relationship that fans maintain with players, managers and teams made the Yankees' invitation to Randolph all the more significant.

The New York Times - Sports

There's a mutual relationship that publishers need to maintain with their titles' respective communities and leagues that is not only appropriate, but necessary to grow the industry.

The Guardian - Sport

It did not treat the World War 1 era with the respect and sensitivity that we have strived to maintain with the game and our communications".

The Guardian - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When you intend to use "maintain with", consider if a clearer preposition or phrasing would better convey your intended meaning. For instance, specify the tool or method used for maintenance, like "maintain using" or "maintain through".

Common error

Avoid using "maintain with" when you should be specifying the instrument or method being used. This preposition can lead to ambiguity. Use "maintain using" or "maintain through" to express how the maintenance is performed.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "maintain with" functions primarily as a verb phrase, but its usage is often grammatically questionable. As Ludwig AI points out, the construction can be awkward and unclear. Many instances could be improved by specifying the method or means of maintenance.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

39%

Science

36%

Academia

19%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

While the phrase "maintain with" appears frequently, particularly in news and scientific contexts, its grammatical correctness is debatable. As Ludwig AI indicates, it's often an imprecise and awkward construction. Better alternatives, like "maintain using" or "maintain through", offer greater clarity by specifying the method or means of maintenance. Therefore, when aiming for precision, consider replacing "maintain with" with a more descriptive and grammatically sound alternative.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

maintain using

Replaces "with" to specify the means or method by which something is maintained.

maintain through

Suggests maintaining something across a period or via a process.

maintain via

A shorter, more direct way of saying "maintain by means of".

maintain by means of

More formal, emphasizing the instruments or methods used for maintenance.

preserve with

Emphasizes keeping something in its original condition using specific methods.

sustain with

Focuses on providing support or resources to keep something going.

uphold through

Highlights maintaining a standard or principle over a duration.

keep up with

Implies staying current or level with something else.

continue with

Suggests ongoing action or involvement.

maintain alongside

Indicates maintaining something concurrently with something else.

FAQs

How can I correctly use "maintain" in a sentence?

Use "maintain" with a direct object to indicate preserving something. For example, "maintain standards", "maintain relationships", or "maintain equipment" are correct usages. Avoid adding "with" unless clarifying the method, such as "maintain using specific tools".

What's a clearer alternative to "maintain with"?

Depending on the context, consider alternatives like "keep up with" if you mean to stay current, or "maintain using" to specify the means of maintenance.

Is it grammatically correct to say "maintain with"?

While sometimes used, "maintain with" is not the most grammatically precise phrasing. It's often better to rephrase to specify how something is maintained, such as "maintain through regular inspections".

When is "maintain using" more appropriate than "maintain with"?

"Maintain using" is appropriate when you want to clearly state the tool, method, or resource that is used to maintain something. "Maintain with" may imply accompaniment rather than method.