conserve

verb con·serve \ kən-ˈsərv \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: conserve in a Sentence

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

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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

Joining a statewide effort to conserve water in face of a third consecutive dry winter, the La Cañada Flintridge City Council went on record urging La Cañada property owners to voluntarily cut water consumption by 10%.

— carol cormaci, latimes.com, "La Cañada History: 2 Oxy alumni from La Cañada share a moment during 1998 commencement exercises," 25 June 2018
Desalination Adriana Bruggeman, a professor of hydrology and water management at the Cyprus Institute, a research organization, said no matter what civilians do to conserve water, there is simply not enough of the natural resource to fill the need.

— NBC News, "Cyprus turns off taps to farmers as fresh water levels drop," 22 June 2018
To conserve water, the Edwards Aquifer Authority required big users to cut pumping by 30 percent, and this week, the city and other utilities declared Stage 2 restrictions, meaning customers have to limit their outdoor water use.

— austin horn, San Antonio Express-News, "Rain to come after long dry spell, but will it be enough to stop a drought?," 14 June 2018
Candidates for agriculture commissioner are putting forward a variety of ideas, from continuing to educate residents on the need to conserve water to increasing the use of recycled or reclaimed water and limiting rural development.

— jim turner, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Water policy key for next Agriculture commissioner," 12 June 2018
The bigger the reduction in energy intake, the bigger the steps taken to conserve it.

— bryant stamford, The Courier-Journal, "Crash diets might be good for right now, but will punish you long term," 10 May 2018
And researching how humans helped shape the diverse flora of Latin America is the first step in figuring out how to conserve it.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Pre-Columbian people spread fruit species across Latin America," 13 Mar. 2018
Proceeds support the Harford Land Trust’s mission of conserving open space and natural resources in Harford County.

— The Aegis, "More than 100 support conservation at annual Harford Land Trust poker run on the water," 12 July 2018
The findings were released yesterday morning as representatives from around the world convened in Oslo, Norway, for an international forum on conserving tropical forests.

— chelsea harvey, Scientific American, "2017 Was a Really Bad Year for Tropical Forests," 28 June 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year