conservation

noun con·ser·va·tion \ ˌkän(t)-sər-ˈvā-shən \

Definition of conservation

1 :a careful preservation and protection of something; especially :planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect

water conservation

wildlife conservation

2 :the preservation of a physical quantity during transformations or reactions

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conservational

play \ˌkän(t)-sər-ˈvā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See conservation defined for English-language learners

See conservation defined for kids

Examples of conservation in a Sentence

They are trying to raise money for conservation.
the conservation of the environment
She specializes in the conservation of furniture.
the conservation of religious shrines

Recent Examples of conservation from the Web

That money, which provides revenue to Alabama to compensate for environmental impacts of oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, is supposed to go toward coastal conservation, restoration and hurricane protection.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Few answers exist on how to pay for I-10 Bridge project as Alabama turns to the private sector," 28 Aug. 2017
Although the property provides no conservation benefit to the gopher frog, the government estimates that the regulatory restrictions on the landowners could cost them $34 million.

— mark miller, National Review, "The Feds and the Frog: Private Landowners Stand to Lose on 1,500 Acres," 28 Aug. 2017
Governor Andrus will rightly be remembered as a legend in the conservation field.

— kristin rodine, cynthia sewell and sven berg, idahostatesman, "‘The entire American West bears the imprint of Cecil Andrus’," 25 Aug. 2017
Other conservation campaigns have been motivated less by environmentalism than by the desire to preserve history and tradition.

— linni kral, The Atlantic, "The Fight for America's Disappearing Ancient Dairy Cows," 22 Aug. 2017
Environmental conservation would become easier for the simple reason that fewer people would be making demands on our natural resources.

— vanityfair.com, "The Democratic Case for Restricting Immigration," 9 Aug. 2017
The House has passed three bills related to permitting from groundwater conservation districts.

— star-telegram, "Here’s where the Texas Legislature is on Abbott’s special session issues," 7 Aug. 2017
Katie Adam’s Make Believe Theater uses puppets, shadow puppets and music to share a message of animal and nature conservation from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Alvin Sherman Library, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd.

— jennifer jhon, South Florida Parenting, "What to do with the kids this weekend: Back-to-school fests, Monster Jam and magic," 2 Aug. 2017
The federal government has declared numerous counties in the three-state region to be disaster areas and authorized haying and grazing on land meant for conservation to help alleviate the conditions.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "The Climate Crisis Is Here. Now.," 24 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conservation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of conservation

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin conservation-, conservatio, from conservare — see ¹conserve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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conservation Synonyms

Synonyms

conservancy, preservation, sustentation

Related Words

care, maintenance, upkeep; salvation, saving; defense, guardianship, guarding, keeping, protection, safeguarding, safekeeping; economy, husbandry, management

Near Antonyms

dereliction, ignoring, neglect, squandering, waste; destruction, ruin; damage, harm, hurt, injury

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

CONSERVATION Defined for English Language Learners

conservation

noun

Definition of conservation for English Language Learners

: the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources
: the careful use of natural resources (such as trees, oil, etc.) to prevent them from being lost or wasted
: the things that are done to keep works of art or things of historical importance in good condition