conserve

verb con·serve \ kən-ˈsərv \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of conserve

conserved; conserving

transitive verb

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

See conserve defined for English-language learners

See conserve defined for kids

Examples of conserve in a Sentence

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 of conserve from the Web

That was a smart move to conserve resources, but the trouble is that eventually these suppliers will demand their money.

— charley grant, WSJ, "The Clock Is Ticking Faster at Tesla," 28 Mar. 2018
Planting and conserving trees improves the quality of life by reducing air pollution, stabilizing soils and reducing water pollution through absorption, according to the county government.

— staff report, The Aegis, "Harford County to observe Arbor Day on March 30 at Annie's Playground," 27 Mar. 2018
But at the core of the modern conservative movement has been the effort to protect, defend and conserve the traditions of a liberal revolution, grounded in the best arguments of the enlightenment (slavery notwithstanding).

— Anchorage Daily News, "Let’s hope Bannon never comes back from European tour," 20 Mar. 2018
The Farmington Hills mother-daughter duo are members of a popular citizen scientist squad trained through the Michigan Conservation Stewards Program (CSP) to help restore and conserve natural areas throughout the Great Lakes State.

— michigan wildlife council, Detroit Free Press, "Citizen scientists act as ‘superheroes’ in conservation," 22 Jan. 2018
In order to conserve power, CPS asked customers to set thermostats to 68 degrees during the day, limit the use of appliances that use a lot of energy, like dryers and dishwashers and turn off and unplug electrical devices that aren’t in use.

— rye druzin, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio’s CPS Energy restores power to 1,400 as it battles Winter Storm Inga," 16 Jan. 2018
The practice dates to World War I, originally starting as a way to conserve energy.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Alabama would move to Daylight Saving Time year round under new bill," 15 Mar. 2018
Then, in 1916, Germany suddenly adopted the British idea in hopes of conserving energy for its war effort.

— michael downing, Smithsonian, "One Hundred Years Later, the Madness of Daylight Saving Time Endures," 9 Mar. 2018
His interest, instead, is in conserving all the natural genetic diversity embodied in these seeds as insurance for our food supply in the centuries to come.

— adrian higgins, idahostatesman, "Dispelling myths around the Arctic Circle’s famed ‘doomsday’ seed vault on its 10th anniversary | Idaho Statesman," 28 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of conserve

Middle English, from Middle French conserver, from Latin conservare, from com- + servare to keep, guard, observe; akin to Avestan haurvaiti he guards

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

conserve Synonyms

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

conserve

noun con·serve \ ˈkän-ˌsərv \

Definition of conserve

1 : sweetmeat; especially : a candied fruit

2 : preserve; specifically : one prepared from a mixture of fruits

See conserve defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of conserve from the Web

Purple beets are a positive bummer, leaden slabs squirted with oily olive puree and huckleberry conserves without any dairy or acid to cut through the dense, beety fog.

— mike sula, Chicago Reader, "With Marisol inside the MCA, Jason Hammel paints a new canvas," 13 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of conserve

15th century

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

CONSERVE Defined for English Language Learners

conserve

noun

Definition of conserve for English Language Learners

: a sweet food made by cooking pieces of fruit with sugar

CONSERVE Defined for Kids

conserve

verb con·serve \ kən-ˈsərv \

Definition of conserve for Students

conserved; conserving

1 : to prevent the waste of

Close the window to conserve heat.

2 : to keep in a safe condition : save

We must conserve our forests.

conserve

noun con·serve \ ˈkän-ˌsərv \

Definition of conserve for Students

: a rich fruit preserve

Medical Dictionary

conserve

noun con·serve \ ˈkän-ˌsərv \

medical Definition of conserve

: an obsolete medicinal preparation made by mixing undried vegetable drugs with sufficient powdered sugar to form a soft mass — compare confection

conserve

transitive verb con·serve \ kən-ˈsərv \

medical Definition of conserve

conserved; conserving

: to maintain (a quantity) constant during a process of chemical, physical, or evolutionary change

a DNA sequence that has been conserved

Learn More about conserve

See words that rhyme with conserve Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for conserve Spanish Central: Translation of conserve Nglish: Translation of conserve for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of conserve for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about conserve

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conserve

Definition of conserve

conserver

Examples of conserve in a Sentence

Recent Examples of conserve from the Web

Origin and Etymology of conserve

conserve Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

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Other Food Terms

conserve

Definition of conserve

Recent Examples of conserve from the Web

First Known Use of conserve

Other Food Terms

CONSERVE Defined for English Language Learners

conserve

Definition of conserve for English Language Learners

CONSERVE Defined for Kids

conserve

Definition of conserve for Students

conserve

Definition of conserve for Students

Medical Dictionary

conserve

medical Definition of conserve

conserve

medical Definition of conserve

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