conserved; conserving
1
: to keep in a safe or sound state
He conserved his inheritance.
especially
: to avoid wasteful or destructive use of
conserve natural resources
conserve our wildlife
2
: to preserve with sugar
3
: to maintain (a quantity) constant during a process of chemical, physical, or evolutionary change
conserved DNA sequences
conserver
noun
con·serve
ˈkän-ˌsərv 
Synonyms
Examples of conserve in a Sentence
Verb
With so little rain, everyone had to conserve water.
We need to conserve our natural resources.
Don't run around too much—you need to conserve your strength.
Recent Examples on the Web
Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Like Denver, New York and Chicago have struggled to provide enough resources and housing to keep up with the influx and have instituted measures to conserve their budgets, including shelter evictions.
—Daniella Silva, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
While Republican lawmakers overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, the governor issued an executive order in February directing state agencies to conserve 1 million acres of natural lands, with an emphasis on wetlands.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
This practice can help conserve resources, such as land and water, and promote more sustainable farming practices.
—Vinay Chandrashekar, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
There's also an emphasis on the health of the planet, as properties are promoting sustainability and letting guests know of their efforts to conserve resources, reduce waste in their culinary outlets, and provide experiences that contribute to the overall improvement of the environment.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024
The $2,500 grant from the Missouri Humanities Commission is funding the Lee’s Summit History Museum’s purchase of a case to conserve and exhibit buckskin clothing and a musket owned by John Hardin Harris, an early pioneer in the area.
—Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
On April 8, the solar eclipse in the same part of your chart presents you with choices or opportunities to increase your cash flow, conserve your resources in the name of self-preservation, or accumulate more equipment to put in your travel bag.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2024
After a wet year and a push to conserve water in the Southwest, federal officials say the risk of the Colorado River’s reservoirs declining to critically low levels has substantially eased for the next couple of years.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Ben Mims, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2023
Her cranberry conserve?
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 25 Oct. 2022
Its metabolism and body temperature drop sharply, letting the animal conserve energy.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2014
Citizen scientists in the bay area are helping conserve birds and their habitats through the San Francisco Bird Bay Observatory.
—Kristin Butler, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2015
The parks will bring farmers, processors, and retailers together using advanced climate technology to minimise waste, conserve water, and maximise crop yields, Reuters reported.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 15 July 2022
The limited-edition yogurt, which is mixed with a strawberry-champagne conserve, features a small, tiara-like design drawing, similar to illustrations of crowns on Heinz’s sauce labels.
—Katie Deighton, WSJ, 25 May 2022
To maximize the damage and conserve resources, DDoSers often increase the firepower of their attacks through amplification vectors.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 1 Mar. 2022
Exactly what is the scientific foundation for the company’s claims that dredging the lake will fix its ecology and conserve water, however, is anybody’s guess.
—Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Jan. 2022
Verb
Hibernation is a period of dormancy that some animals undergo to conserve energy in order to survive adverse weather or lack of food, according to the Australian Academy of Science.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Like Denver, New York and Chicago have struggled to provide enough resources and housing to keep up with the influx and have instituted measures to conserve their budgets, including shelter evictions.
—Daniella Silva, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
While Republican lawmakers overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, the governor issued an executive order in February directing state agencies to conserve 1 million acres of natural lands, with an emphasis on wetlands.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
This practice can help conserve resources, such as land and water, and promote more sustainable farming practices.
—Vinay Chandrashekar, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
There's also an emphasis on the health of the planet, as properties are promoting sustainability and letting guests know of their efforts to conserve resources, reduce waste in their culinary outlets, and provide experiences that contribute to the overall improvement of the environment.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024
The $2,500 grant from the Missouri Humanities Commission is funding the Lee’s Summit History Museum’s purchase of a case to conserve and exhibit buckskin clothing and a musket owned by John Hardin Harris, an early pioneer in the area.
—Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
On April 8, the solar eclipse in the same part of your chart presents you with choices or opportunities to increase your cash flow, conserve your resources in the name of self-preservation, or accumulate more equipment to put in your travel bag.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2024
After a wet year and a push to conserve water in the Southwest, federal officials say the risk of the Colorado River’s reservoirs declining to critically low levels has substantially eased for the next couple of years.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
Assenza is a master of preserving and transforming fruit into delicious conserves and marmalades.
—Ben Mims, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2023
Her cranberry conserve?
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 25 Oct. 2022
Its metabolism and body temperature drop sharply, letting the animal conserve energy.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2014
Citizen scientists in the bay area are helping conserve birds and their habitats through the San Francisco Bird Bay Observatory.
—Kristin Butler, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2015
The parks will bring farmers, processors, and retailers together using advanced climate technology to minimise waste, conserve water, and maximise crop yields, Reuters reported.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 15 July 2022
The limited-edition yogurt, which is mixed with a strawberry-champagne conserve, features a small, tiara-like design drawing, similar to illustrations of crowns on Heinz’s sauce labels.
—Katie Deighton, WSJ, 25 May 2022
To maximize the damage and conserve resources, DDoSers often increase the firepower of their attacks through amplification vectors.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 1 Mar. 2022
Exactly what is the scientific foundation for the company’s claims that dredging the lake will fix its ecology and conserve water, however, is anybody’s guess.
—Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Jan. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conserve.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near conserve
Cite this Entry
“Conserve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conserve. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conserve
1 of 2 verb
con·serve
kən-ˈsərv
conserved; conserving
1
a
: to keep in a safe or sound state
b
: to avoid wasteful or destructive use of : use carefully
conserve natural resources
conserve energy
2
: to preserve with sugar
3
: to keep (a quantity) constant during a process of change (as chemical change)
conserver
noun
conserve
2 of 2 noun
con·serve
ˈkän-ˌsərv
1
: a candied fruit
Medical Definition
conserve
1 of 2 noun
con·serve
ˈkän-ˌsərv
: an obsolete medicinal preparation made by mixing undried vegetable drugs with sufficient powdered sugar to form a soft mass compare confection
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