conserve

verb

con·serve | \kən-ˈsərv

conserved; conserving

Definition of conserve

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

conserve

noun

con·serve | \ˈkän-ˌsərv

Definition of conserve (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : sweetmeat especially : a candied fruit

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

Other Words from conserve Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about conserve

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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: Verb

Thinking consumes time and energy, which humans have an incentive to conserve. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "Electric Cars and Media Explained," 6 Nov. 2018 Under light loads, the engine shuts down two cylinders to conserve fuel. — Matthew Jancer, Popular Mechanics, "Moving More With Less: Why Four-Cylinders Are Coming to Full-Size Trucks," 21 June 2018 The idea to conserve the giant salamander, then, was to use these farms to replenish wild populations around China. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "The 6-Foot Chinese Giant Salamander Is in Serious Trouble," 21 May 2018 Specifically, video streamed via Xfinify Mobile devices will soon be capped at 480p, a move Comcast claims will help users who are paying for data by the GB to conserve their data plan. — Emily Price, Fortune, "Comcast Slaps New Restrictions on Xfinity Mobile Customers," 2 July 2018 The group has invested about $227 million to conserve over 655,000 acres of wetlands in the Great Lakes region, which serves as a water source for over 40 million people. — Mi Clear, Detroit Free Press, "MI CLEAR brings together diverse groups to reduce algae blooms in Lake Erie," 20 June 2018 And as far as using it to conserve innings to protect young arms goes, ask Julio Urias and Jose DeLeon how well that worked for them. — Houston Mitchell, latimes.com, "Dodgers Dugout: Rich Hill and the 'third time through the lineup' fallacy," 13 Apr. 2018 Fertilize lightly using a slow-release product labelled for azaleas and rhododendrons, follow with a layer of organic mulch around roots to conserve moisture and control weeds. — Jefferson County Cooperative Extension, AL.com, "Chinese fringe flower in bloom! (Garden Talk)," 14 Mar. 2018 An even grimmer scenario now looms: Day Zero, when the government will turn off the taps for most homes and businesses in the city to conserve the very last supplies. — Aryn Baker, TIME.com, "What It’s Like to Live Through Cape Town’s Massive Water Crisis," 8 Feb. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Doing so conserves resources (those not wasted on people who are not likely to respond or be in need of help). — Austin Frakt, New York Times, "It Saves Lives. It Can Save Money. So Why Aren’t We Spending More on Public Health?," 28 May 2018 The benefit of this method is that the thick mulch conserves soil moisture and smothers weeds. — Doug Hall, Good Housekeeping, "7 Ways To Grow Potatoes," 28 June 2016 His family had been manufacturing conserves since 1885 but with regular, unremarkable, dreadfully ordinary berries. — Zahra Pettican, Bon Appetit, "This Incredible Strawberry Jam Is Made with Rare, Extremely Tiny Strawberries," 25 Apr. 2018 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

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.