upkeep

US/ˈʌpkip/

nounB2+Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #10,585 of 15,258leans written

Upkeep is the cost and work of keeping something in order. The upkeep of the house, high upkeep, pay for the upkeep.

It is the ongoing cost rather than the purchase, and it is what people underestimate when buying anything large — a boat, a horse or a listed building. It is a mass noun with no plural and takes of.

Definitions of upkeep

1nounupkeepThe cost and work of keeping something in order.B2+
“The upkeep of a big garden takes up most of my weekends.”

upkeep is a cost.

Where it comes from

Up plus keep, from the nineteenth century.

From up + keep.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

upkeep in the wild

Oral history preservation is the field that deals with the care and upkeep of oral history materials collected by word of mouth, whatever format they may be in.
Word of mouth
The Town Council also agreed to financially support the upkeep of the meadows.
Arlesey Old Moat and Glebe Meadows
A charitable trust "to generate income for the upkeep and repair of Hare Street House" was maintained by the Archdiocese of Westminster.
Hare Street House
The club relies on donations from alumni, competitions and annual membership to care for the upkeep of their boats and equipment.
Sheffield University Rowing Club
The island was named in 2005 by Shrewsbury resident Kevin O'Brien who began frequenting and caring for the upkeep of the island.
Busta Rhymes Island

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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