maintain good relations

Meaning

This expression means to keep a friendly, peaceful, and cooperative relationship with someone over time. It is often used in both personal contexts (like family or neighbors) and professional settings (like business partners or clients) to emphasize effort in avoiding conflict.

Examples

• Even after they divorced, they managed to maintain good relations for the sake of their kids.

  Even after they divorced, they managed to maintain good relations for the sake of their kids.

• It's important to maintain good relations with your neighbors to avoid unnecessary drama.

  It's important to maintain good relations with your neighbors to avoid unnecessary drama.

• Our company works hard to maintain good relations with all of our suppliers.

  Our company works hard to maintain good relations with all of our suppliers.

• Despite their political differences, the two leaders always tried to maintain good relations.

  Despite their political differences, the two leaders always tried to maintain good relations.

• She found it difficult to maintain good relations with her former boss after she quit.

  She found it difficult to maintain good relations with her former boss after she quit.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We need to maintain good relation with them.

  ✓ We need to maintain good relations with them.

  Relations is plural in this fixed collocation. Using the singular relation sounds unnatural here.

• ✗ They always keep good relations with their clients.

  ✓ They always maintain good relations with their clients.

  While keep is understood, maintain is the standard, more natural collocation for ongoing professional or formal ties.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Even after the dispute, both families tried to ___ with each other.

  💡 Keep a positive, peaceful connection.

  Show answer

  maintain good relations

• As a customer service manager, your main job is to ___ with clients.

  💡 Keep friendly and professional ties.

  Show answer

  maintain good relations