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To maintain a conflict; to contend; to engage in strife or opposition; to struggle.

Tending or disposed to maintain existing institutions; opposed to change or innovation.

state; to save; to preserve; to protect. The amity which . . . they meant to conserve and maintain with the emperor. Strype.

n union or connection; to hold together; to be; to exist; to subsist; to be supported and maintained. He is before all things, and by him all things consist. Col. i. 17.

A point maintained in an argument, or a line of argument taken in its support; the subject matter of discussion of strife; a position taken or contended for. All men seem agreed what is to be done; the contention is how the subject is to be divided and defined. Bagehot. This was my original contention, and I still main…

To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend; as, the troops contested every inch of ground.

t or constant in any course; to persevere; to abide; to endure; to persist; to keep up or maintain a particular condition, course, or series of actions; as, the army continued to advance. If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. John viii. 31.

To enter into or maintain a hostile contest; to struggle; to combat; especially, to strive or contend on equal terms or with success; to match; to equal; -- usually followed by with. Host coped with host, dire was the din of war. Philips. Their generals have not been able to cope with the troops of Athens. Addison.…

A solemn compact between members of a church to maintain its faith, discipline, etc.

re pieces of timber, or a metal member, forming a frame around an opening, and serving to maintain the integrity of that opening; also, a ring of stone serving a similar purpose, as at the eye of a dome.

tax formerly laid on the English nation to buy off the ravages of Danish invaders, or to maintain forces to oppose them. It afterward became a permanent tax, raised by an assessment, at first of one shilling, afterward of two shillings, upon every hide of land throughout the realm. Wharton's Law Dict. Tomlins.…

To contend for in words or arguments; to strive to maintain by reasoning; to dispute; to contest; to discuss; to argue for and against. A wise council . . . that did debate this business. Shak. Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself. Prov. xxv. 9.

To repel danger or harm from; to protect; to secure against; attack; to maintain against force or argument; to uphold; to guard; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause; to defend character; to defend the absent; -- sometimes followed by from or against; as, to defend one's self from, or against, one's enemies. The lor…

One who defends; one who maintains, supports, protects, or vindicates; a champion; an advocate; a vindicator. Provinces . . . left without their ancient and puissant defenders. Motley.

defends or protects; anything employed to oppose attack, ward off violence or danger, or maintain security; a guard; a protection. War would arise in defense of the right. Tennyson. God, the widow's champion and defense. Shak.

One of a sect of Anabaptists who maintain that the demons or devils will finally be saved.

ting to proceed further, on the allegation that such evidence is not sufficient in law to maintain the issue, and a reference to the court to determine the point. Bouvier.

h of a statement, charge, imputation, etc.; assertion of the untruth of a thing stated or maintained; a contradiction.

tor used for dividing and distributing the current to a series of electric lamps so as to maintain equal action in all. Knight. Partial differential (Math.), the differential of a function of two or more variables, when only one of the variables receives an increment. -- Total differential (Math.), the differential of…

The theory which maintains that the primitive elements of language are reflex expressions induced by sensory impressions; that is, as stated by Max Müller, the creative faculty gave to each general conception as it thrilled for the first time through the brain a phonetic expression; -- jocosely so called from the analo…