conserve

play

verb con·serve \ kən-ˈsərv \

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

Matthys will be honored for the district's involvement in Dunes programs to conserve natural areas.

— Post-Tribune, "Community news," 30 Aug. 2017
The agency has cut salaries, travel, and taken other steps to conserve funding, as well as diverting money initially targeted for capital projects to operations.

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville waterfront agency votes to charge users to park," 23 Aug. 2017
In June 1967, a few people gathered in Lake Forest City Hall to create an organization that would conserve natural areas in Lake Forest.

— mark lawton, chicagotribune.com, "Lake Forest Open Lands marks 50 years of preservation work," 8 Aug. 2017
In addition to shading out and eliminating weeds, plastic mulches conserve moisture and promote early crop growth by helping heat up the soil in spring.

— don sorrell, Cincinnati.com, "Weed control in the vegetable garden," 29 June 2017
The great Danish theorist Niels Bohr even suggested that energy might not be conserved on the atomic scale.

— adrian cho, Science | AAAS, "Weighing the universe's most elusive particle," 29 June 2017
His administration contended that curbing waste disposal in landfills could save taxpayers money, conserve energy and reduce pollution.

— michael dresser, baltimoresun.com, "Hogan cancels O'Malley-era 'zero waste' plan," 27 June 2017
Harvick was on cruise control and conserving fuel in the race that ended under caution after Kasey Kahne had a hard accident on the final lap.

— jenna fryer, courant.com, "Kevin Harvick Wins At Sonona For 1st Victory Of Season," 25 June 2017
Power grid operators and utility companies urged customers to conserve electricity at peak times to avoid the possibility of blackouts.

— dan whitcomb, Alaska Dispatch News, "Death Valley forecast to hit 127 degrees as Southwest sears," 20 June 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.

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

Synonyms

husband

Antonyms

blow, dissipate, fritter (away), lavish, misspend, run through, squander, throw away, waste

Related Words

economize, save, scrimp, skimp; preserve, protect, save; hoard, lay by, lay up

Near Antonyms

clean (out), consume, deplete, drain, exhaust, expend, impoverish, spend, use up

Other Food Terms

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

conserve

play

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

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

play

noun

Definition of conserve for English Language Learners

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

CONSERVE Defined for Kids

conserve

play

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

play

noun con·serve \ ˈkän-ˌsərv \

Definition of conserve for Students

:a rich fruit preserve

Medical Dictionary

conserve

play

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

play

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up conserve? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

conserve

Definition of conserve

conserver

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of conserve in a Sentence

Recent Examples of conserve from the Web

Origin and Etymology of conserve

conserve Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Food Terms

conserve

Definition of conserve

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

Learn More about conserve

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Meat Sweats': The Cookout's Worst Nightmare

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066