1. vt.保持；继续　 keep up; retain; continue
2. vt.坚持；主张　 assert as true
3. vt.保养，维护　 keep in good repair; defend
4. vt.供给；赡养　 support

　～ a balance　保持平衡
　～ discipline　维护纪律
　～ distance　保持距离
　～ one's family　供养家庭
　～ friendship　保持友谊
　～ the front　支撑门面，维持场面
　～ life　维持生命
　～ an open mind　无成见
　～ order　维持秩序
　～ peace and order　维持治安
　～ position　保持地位
　～ public highways　养护公路
　～ relationship　保持关系
　～ one's right　维护自己的权利
　～ stability　保持稳定
　～ standard　维持水准
　～ one's strength　保持体力
　～ strong ties with　与…保持紧密的联系
　～ the style of　保持…的作风
　～ unity　保持团结
　～ adequately　充分地保养
　～ agreeably　容易保养
　～ categorically　明确地主张
　～ cautiously　谨慎地主张
　～ confusedly　不明确地主张
　～ consistently　一致坚持
　～ contemptuously　傲慢地坚持
　～ conventionally　按常规坚持
　～ curiously　不寻常地坚持
　～ emphatically　坚决主张
　～ fundamentally　基本上主张
　～ intelligently　明智地主张
　～ intensely　热情地主张
　～ personally　个人主张
　～ progressively　不断主张
　～ quietly　悄悄地继续
　～ remarkably　可靠地供给
　～ rigidly　强硬地坚持
　～ satisfactorily　满意地供给
　～ spectacularly　特殊地供给
　～ stubbornly　顽强地坚持
　～ successfully〔victoriously〕　成功地坚持
　～ theoretically　理论主张
　～ thoughtlessly　轻率地坚持
　～ tyrannically　强有力地坚持
　～ unhesitatingly　毫不迟疑地主张
　～ unnecessarily　不必要地坚持
　～ unreasonably　不合理地主张
　～ one's ground against the enemy　坚持自己反对敌人的立场

　Food is necessary to maintain life.　食物是维持生命所必需的。
　How much does it cost to maintain this house?　维修这栋房子需要多少钱?
　The government maintains the law.　政府维护法律。
　Be careful to maintain your reputation.　要小心保持你的名誉。
　The two countries have maintained friendly relations for many years.　两国多年来一直保持着友好的关系。
　They still maintain some distance from him.　他们和他仍然保持着一定的距离。
　He has to maintain his wife and two children.　他不得不养活妻子和两个孩子。
　Somehow he managed to maintain a son at the university.　他设法供一个儿子上了大学。
　The machine is very simple to maintain.　这机器保养起来很简便。
　The public order is well maintained.　公共秩序维持得很好。
　In our country, universities and colleges are maintained by the state.　在我国，大专院校是由国家办的。
　He was maintained by pride in his family.　对家庭的自豪感支持着他。
　He maintained that he was not to be blamed.　他坚持说他不应该受到责怪。
　She maintains that the accusation is groundless.　她坚持认为该指控是毫无根据的。
　He maintained the policy to be wrong.　他坚持认为这个政策是错误的。

 ♣ maintain at　(v.+prep.)
　把…保持在　 keep sth at a (higher) level
　We must do our best to maintain sales at their usual rate in these times of poor trade.　在生意不景气的时候，我们要尽力使销售额保持在平日的水平上。
 ♣ maintain in　(v.+prep.)
1. （保持）处于…中 keep sth in sth
　It's endless work maintaining the house in good repair.　要让房屋保持得很好是件干不完的活。
　Let's maintain peace in the world.　我们来维持世界和平吧。
　She maintains her opinion in this respect.　在这一方面她坚持个人主张。
　They maintain a very powerful fleet in Oriental Waters.　他们在远东海域保持着一支非常强大的舰队。
2. 供养…使之以…生活 support sb in sth
　If you are going to marry my daughter, I must ask if you can afford to maintain her in the manner to which she has been accustomed?　既然你想娶我的女儿，我要问问你是否有能力让她按自己已习惯的方式生活呢?
　While he was at the university an uncle maintained him in clothing.　他上大学时叔父供给他衣服。
 ♣ maintain on　(v.+prep.)
　依靠…供养　support sb on sth
　He has to maintain a large family on a small salary.　他不得不依靠很少的工资养活一家人。
 ♣ maintain with　(v.+prep.)
　与…保持　retain with sb
　We maintain cordial relations with our neighbours.　我们与邻里保持亲切友好的关系。

 ♣ maintain, assert, defend, justify, vindicate
　这组词都有“坚持”的意思。其区别在于：maintain指坚持维护某种主张或某一事物，暗示在反对意见面前或在争论当中怀有坚定不移的信念；assert强调把自己的信念强加于人或者企图硬要别人信服或认可；defend专指捍卫某种行动、意见、决定等以免受到非难、惩罚或责备；vindicate特指在受到非难、责备、轻视等时为自己辩明或剖白；justify指用无可辨别的理由“证明…有道理或有根据”。
 ♣ maintain, bolster, brace, buttress, prop, support, sustain
　参见support条。
 ♣ maintain, conserve, hoard, preserve, save, stockpile, store
　参见store条。
 ♣ maintain, repair
　maintain　的意思是“维修”，以免不发生故障；repair的意思是“更新”“恢复原状”。