reserve

play

verb re·serve \ ri-ˈzərv \

Definition of reserve

reserved; reserving

transitive verb

1 a :to hold in reserve :keep back

reserve grain for seed

b :to set aside (part of the consecrated elements) at the Eucharist for future use

c :to retain or hold over to a future time or place :defer

reserve one's judgment on a plan

d :to make legal reservation of

2 :to set or have set aside or apart

reserve a hotel room

—

reservable

play \-ˈzər-və-bəl\ adjective

See reserve defined for English-language learners

See reserve defined for kids

Examples of reserve in a Sentence

We reserved a hotel room.
This table is reserved for someone else.
The seats are reserved under my name.
We will reserve this wine for a special occasion.
She usually reserved her best dishes for very important dinners.

Recent Examples of reserve from the Web

The table is located in the Lenexa firm’s lobby, just steps away from conference rooms reserved for business meetings.

— sarah gish, kansascity, "Ten KC companies that spoil employees with unbelievable perks," 30 Aug. 2017
Amid a drought in 2001, the Bureau of Reclamation cut off subsidized irrigation water to more than 1,000 farms to reserve supplies for threatened fish, triggering tense protests.

— stuart leavenworth, The Seattle Times, "Agency misspent $32 million in Klamath basin, but Interior has held no one to account," 30 Aug. 2017
Neither plan panned out — Whitehall lost early in the postseason, and new Nittany Lions coach James Franklin’s few remaining scholarships were reserved for offensive linemen.

— jonas shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "For Towson running back Shane Simpson, Saquon Barkley's a 'brother' and an inspiration," 30 Aug. 2017
Add reserved cauliflower water and whisk to combine.

— molly kimball, NOLA.com, "Don't let 'vegan cheese' label scare you away from these tasty nut, veggie spreads," 29 Aug. 2017
Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

— emily horton, sacbee, "Eggplant and tomato make the pasta sauce of summer," 29 Aug. 2017
Heat reserved skillet over medium-low and pour in salsa directly from blender, scraping in every last bit with a rubber spatula.

— claire saffitz, Bon Appetit, "One-Skillet Corn Chilaquiles," 29 Aug. 2017
Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

— emily horton, charlotteobserver, "Eggplant and tomato make the pasta sauce of summer," 29 Aug. 2017
The Kardashian family is not alone in its altruism, though some parties have chosen to be more reserved in the promotion of their support.

— libby hill, latimes.com, "Kardashian family pledges $500,000 to Harvey relief efforts," 29 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of reserve

Middle English, from Anglo-French reserver, from Latin reservare, literally, to keep back, from re- + servare to keep — more at conserve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

reserve Synonyms

Synonyms

bespeak, book

Antonyms

give up, hand over, release, relinquish, surrender, yield

Related Words

earmark; contract, engage, hire, retain

Near Antonyms

abandon, cede, drop; contribute, donate, give, hand out; discard, dump; decline, reject, repudiate, spurn; lose

Synonym Discussion of reserve

keep, retain, detain, withhold, reserve mean to hold in one's possession or under one's control. keep may suggest a holding securely in one's possession, custody, or control.

- keep this while I'm gone

retain implies continued keeping, especially against threatened seizure or forced loss.

- managed to retain their dignity even in poverty

detain suggests a delay in letting go.

- detained them for questioning

withhold implies restraint in letting go or a refusal to let go.

- withheld information from the authorities

reserve suggests a keeping in store for future use.

- reserve some of your energy for the last mile

reserve

noun, often attributive

Definition of reserve

1 :something reserved or set aside for a particular purpose, use, or reason: such as

a (1) :a military force withheld from action for later decisive use —usually used in plural

(2) :forces not in the field but available

(3) :the military forces of a country not part of the regular services; also :reservist

b :a tract (as of public land) set apart :reservation

2 :something stored or kept available for future use or need :stock

3 :an act of reserving :qualification

4 a :restraint, closeness, or caution in one's words and actions

b :forbearance from making a full explanation, complete disclosure, or free expression of one's mind

5 archaic :secret

6 a :money or its equivalent kept in hand or set apart usually to meet liabilities

b :the liquid resources of a nation for meeting international payments

7 :substitute

8 :reserve price

9 :a wine made from select grapes, bottled on the maker's premises, and aged differently from the maker's other wines of the same vintage

— in reserve

:held back for future or special use

See reserve defined for English-language learners

Examples of reserve in a Sentence

He had to call upon his inner reserves of strength to keep going.
the salesclerk showed great reserve in dealing with the unreasonable demands of the angry customer

Recent Examples of reserve from the Web

Libya, which holds Africa’s largest crude reserves, pumped 1.02 million barrels a day in July.

— hatem mohareb, Bloomberg.com, "Libya's Oil Disruptions Widen as Two More Fields Halt Output," 27 Aug. 2017
Head coach Andy Reid announced on Sunday that Mahomes and the second team will start and other reserve quarterback Tyler Bray and Joel Stave will get playing time.

— blair kerkhoff, kansascity, "Patrick Mahomes to start preseason finale for Chiefs," 27 Aug. 2017
The government still has more than $9 billion in reserves, but those are quickly shrinking with $3.7 billion in loan payments due later this year.

— clifford krauss, New York Times, "White House Raises Pressure on Venezuela With New Financial Sanctions," 25 Aug. 2017
The fleet consists of roughly 430 ships in active service or reserve.

— jordan valinsky, Popular Mechanics, "Here's the Entire U.S. Navy Fleet in One Chart," 22 Aug. 2017
He was put on injured reserve on Aug. 31, 2015 and then again on Sept. 3, 2016 after a hamstring injury in the final preseason game.

— brian gosset, star-telegram, "Mitchel, Ridgeway give the NFL a Mansfield touch," 22 Aug. 2017
WR Antonio Callaway headlined the group, while DE Keivonnis Davis is a valuable reserve.

— edgar thompson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Suspended UF defensive lineman Jordan Smith subject of police investigation," 18 Aug. 2017
Port spokesman Rich Allen said the grant requires the port to match the $9.85 million, which would come from port reserves and other sources to be identified later.

— karen caffarini, Post-Tribune, "Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor in line for federal construction grant," 11 Aug. 2017
Polite played in 12 games and recorded 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in reserve duty.

— ethan bauer, miamiherald, "UF defensive line features depth as well as questions in 2017," 10 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of reserve

1648

reserve Synonyms

Synonyms

continence, discipline, discretion, inhibition, refrainment, repression, constraint, restraint, self-command, self-control, self-restraint, suppression

Antonyms

disinhibition, incontinence, unconstraint

Near Antonyms

self-abandonment, uninhibitedness; unrestrainedness; gratification, indulgence, overindulgence, self-indulgence; bluntness, candor, frankness; immoderacy, intemperance

RESERVE Defined for English Language Learners

reserve

play

verb

Definition of reserve for English Language Learners

: to make arrangements so that you will be able to use or have (something, such as a room, table, or seat) at a later time
: to keep (something) for a special or future use
: to choose to do (something) at a later time

reserve

noun

Definition of reserve for English Language Learners

: a supply of something that is stored so that it can be used at a later time
: a military force that is additional to the regular forces and that is available if it is needed
: an area of land where animals and plants are given special protection

RESERVE Defined for Kids

reserve

play

verb re·serve \ ri-ˈzərv \

Definition of reserve for Students

reserved; reserving

1 :to arrange to have set aside and held for someone's use

I called to reserve a hotel room.

2 :to keep in store for special use

She believed that Sundays should be reserved for family activities.
—Carl Hiaasen, Hoot

3 :to keep from using until a future time

We need to reserve our strength.

4 :to hold over to a future time or place

Reserve judgment until you know the facts.

reserve

noun

Definition of reserve for Students

1 reserves plural :military forces held back or available for later use

2 :an area of land set apart

a nature reserve

3 :caution in words and behavior

4 :something stored for future use

oil reserves

5 :an act of setting something aside for future use

Medical Dictionary

reserve

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noun re·serve \ ri-ˈzərv \

medical Definition of reserve

1 :something stored or kept available for future use or need

oxygen reserve

— see cardiac reserve

2 :the capacity of a solution to neutralize alkali or acid when its reaction is shifted from one hydrogen-ion concentration to another; especially :the capacity of blood or bacteriological media to react with acid or alkali within predetermined and usually physiological limits of hydrogen-ion concentration — compare buffer, buffer solution

reserve

adjective

medical Definition of reserve

:constituting or having the form or function of a reserve

a reserve supply

reserve strength

Law Dictionary

reserve

transitive verb re·serve

legal Definition of reserve

reserved; reserving

:to keep back or set apart: as

a :to keep (a right, power, or interest) especially by express declaration

all rights reserved

— compare waive

b :to defer a determination of (a question of law)

the justices reserved the question because it was not an issue in the case

reserve

noun

legal Definition of reserve

1 :something stored or kept available for future use

an energy company with various unproven oil reserves

2 :an act of reserving

3 :money kept in a separate account to meet future liabilities

— legal reserve

:the minimum amount as determined by government standards of the deposits held by a bank or of the assets of a life insurance company required by law to be kept as reserves

— loss reserve

1 :a reserve allocated by a bank for the purpose of absorbing losses

a loan loss reserve

2 :an insurance company's reserve representing the discounted value of future payments to be made on losses which may have already occurred

— policy reserve

:an insurance company's reserve representing the difference in value between the net premiums and assumed claims for a given year in life insurance

— unearned premium reserve

:a reserve of funds which represents premiums paid to an insurance company but not yet applied to policy coverage and from which a policyholder is paid a refund in the event of cancellation prior to the period for which premiums have been paid

4 :reserve price

— with reserve

:with a reserve price and with a seller reserving the right to reject all bids

Note: A sale at auction is with reserve if there is no explicit indication to the contrary.

— without reserve

:without a reserve price and with the seller bound to accept the highest bid