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maintenance man

maintenance man

11 2.5
A person who fixes and looks after buildings and equipment
  • noun
  • /ˈmeɪntənəns mæn/
translation icon : técnico de mantenimiento
  • The maintenance man arrived quickly to fix the broken heating system in the office.
  • maintenance man in an apartment
  • maintenance man at a hotel
  • building maintenance man

The park was empty and the park maintenance man was out cleaning up.

Examples

  • Then she remembered that the maintenance man should be performing such work; this wasn't her property, and the leak was really none of her business.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • When Leon, the maintenance man, came in, Kostas had him replace the burned-out bulb.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Are you the maintenance man?

  • Yeah, sir, you might want to send a maintenance man over to that office across the way.

  • The park was empty and the park maintenance man was out cleaning up.

  • Police say that Palmer resigned from his position as a maintenance man at the church earlier this year.

    Blog text (18)
  • He looked in that direction and saw the maintenance man quickly walk out of view.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • She's got a crush on that maintenance man.

  • One of the students had pulled up the blinds to show a maintenance man picking up the books one by one from the slope outside.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Do you think you're able to have the community's maintenance man come by today?

Synonyms

mechanic
vsmaintenance man
188 2.3

A person who repairs machines like cars and engines

covers repairs across buildings and varied equipment, not only vehicles
handyman
vsmaintenance man
50 2.7

A person who fixes and looks after things around a home or workplace

is more tied to regular building and equipment maintenance roles
repairman
vsmaintenance man
33 2.7

A person who fixes broken machines and equipment

includes both fixing and ongoing upkeep rather than only repairs
fixer
vsmaintenance man
6 3.6

A skilled worker who repairs things in houses and apartments

adds routine maintenance and building upkeep duties beyond single repairs
grease monkey
vsmaintenance man
  • Offensive
5 7.7

A person who repairs cars and other machines

is the neutral job title used for official repair and upkeep roles
maintainer
vsmaintenance man
3 4.9

A person who keeps things or traditions in good condition

emphasizes hands-on repair work as well as upkeep tasks
service man
vsmaintenance man
1 3.2

A person who repairs machines or home appliances

is the broader employment title that can cover this regular repair role
repairer
vsmaintenance man
1 3.0

A person who fixes broken things, often as a job

focuses more on regular upkeep and maintenance duties alongside repair
odd-job man
vsmaintenance man
  • UK
1 3.9

A man who does small repair jobs around the home

implies a steady repair and upkeep employment rather than occasional jobs
mender
vsmaintenance man
1 3.2

A person who fixes clothes or shoes

focuses on broader equipment and building maintenance rather than sewing repairs
maintenance woman
vsmaintenance man
1 4.2

A woman who fixes things and looks after equipment in a building

is the male form of that same repair and upkeep role
servicer
vsmaintenance man
1 6.2

A person who fixes and looks after machines and equipment

is more often used for general building and equipment upkeep jobs
repairwoman
vsmaintenance man
3.3

A woman who fixes machines, equipment, or buildings

is the gender-neutral employment term covering the same tasks
wrencher
vsmaintenance man
7.7

A person who uses a wrench to fix machines

covers that work but also includes wider repair and upkeep tasks

How Skilled

maintenance man
11 2.5
caretaker
60 1.9
cleaner
51 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

maintenance + man

The meaning 'a man employed to repair and maintain equipment' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'maintenance' (repair/upkeep) + 'man' (a male person/worker). This noun+noun compound follows a common productive English pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Maintenance man is a simple name: imagine a person with a toolbox who looks after a building and fixes things. The word maintenance means 'care and repair' and man means 'a person who does the work', so the phrase came to mean 'a person who fixes and looks after machines or buildings'.