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reserve

verb
re·​serve | \ ri-ˈzərv How to pronounce reserve (audio) \
reserved; reserving

Definition of reserve

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

reserve

noun, often attributive

Definition of reserve (Entry 2 of 2)

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
4a : 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
6a : 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
Other Words from reserve Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about reserve

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Other Words from reserve

Verb

reservable \ ri-​ˈzər-​və-​bəl How to pronounce reservable (audio) \ adjective

Choose the Right Synonym for reserve

Verb

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

Examples of reserve in a Sentence

Verb

 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.

Noun

 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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 Place a dollop of reserved frosting on the back of each cookie and press onto sides of cake. — Beth Lipton, Country Living, "Bunny Sugar Cookies," 8 Mar. 2019 Add pork chops, reserving marinade, and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side; transfer to plates. Halve bok choy lengthwise. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Asian Pork Chops with Coconut Rice," 7 Mar. 2019 My place at the table is permanent and not reserved. — Marie Claire, "Deep Dives," 7 Mar. 2019 While other phone makers reserve high-end charging features for the most expensive models, Samsung hasn’t crippled the functionality on the S10e, despite its lower price tag. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "10 Samsung Galaxy S10, S10e, and S10+ features that actually surprised us," 20 Feb. 2019 Discard thyme from reserved roasted vegetables and transfer half of them to large pot. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "Creamy Corn Chowder," 21 Dec. 2018 But this upcoming SpaceX launch, known as the SSO-A mission, is unique in that Spaceflight reserved the entirety of the Falcon 9 back in 2015. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Watch SpaceX launch its biggest crop of satellites yet with a twice-used rocket," 3 Dec. 2018 Baby's First Restaurant in Matunuck Knowing the first few weeks of our son's life would be a blur of feedings and Target runs, my husband split his paternity leave in two, reserving the second half for a family getaway. — Jordi Lippe-mcgraw, Condé Nast Traveler, "Maternity Moons Are Now a Thing," 28 Nov. 2018 The death penalty should be reserved for people who have lost their humanity. — Rafael Olmeda, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Final plea for mercy before jury weighs death penalty in murder of Broward deputy," 13 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 For starters, the Saudi population has more than tripled, so the Saudi government’s ability to use its oil reserves for anything other than straightforward economic development is reduced. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Reconsidering the US-Saudi relationship," 19 Oct. 2018 With such low power generation, Opportunity must dip into its battery reserves to continue working. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "NASA’s Opportunity rover is battling a massive dust storm on Mars," 11 June 2018 Both programs will start tapping their reserves this year, meaning that income from payroll taxes and interest earned by the Social Security and Medicare trust funds will no longer cover costs. — CBS News, "How worried should you be about Medicare and Social Security lasting?," 9 June 2018 With evidence pointing to huge oil and gas reserves, all of the surrounding countries want a piece of the pie. — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "What You Need to Know About the South China Sea, the World's Next Hot Spot," 27 Feb. 2019 Visitors can stay at Camp Nomade, an upscale tented camp that operators set up in various places within the reserve depending on the time of year. — Nina Sovich, WSJ, "Secret Safaris: Little-Known National Parks in Africa," 22 Feb. 2019 Junior guard Mattia Da Campo and junior forward Anand Hundal went from little-used reserves to starters and have impressed the coach. — Scott Hanson, The Seattle Times, "After a wave of injuries, things are looking up again for Seattle U men’s basketball," 20 Feb. 2019 In spring and fall, birdwatchers flock to the lagoon and its salt marshes (a natural reserve) on boat safaris to see over 400 species, from white egrets to pink flamingoes that make the migration on the east-Atlantic route. — Lane Nieset, Vogue, "After Marrakech, Go to Oualidia, the Montauk of Morocco," 30 Jan. 2019 Two trillion Qs will be issued — 80 percent of which will go toward incentivizing people to sign up for the network; 10 percent to the Q payment company; and 10 percent to the Q monetary reserves. — Nadra Nittle, Vox, "This new would-be currency isn’t crypto — but is it for real?," 8 Nov. 2018

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.

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First Known Use of reserve

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for reserve

Verb

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

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Statistics for reserve

Last Updated

18 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for reserve

The first known use of reserve was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for reserve

reserve

verb
How to pronounce reserve (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of reserve

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of reserve (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

See the full definition for reserve in the English Language Learners Dictionary

reserve

verb
re·​serve | \ ri-ˈzərv How to pronounce reserve (audio) \
reserved; reserving

Kids Definition of reserve

 (Entry 1 of 2)

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

Kids Definition of reserve (Entry 2 of 2)

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

reserve

noun
re·​serve | \ ri-ˈzərv How to pronounce reserve (audio) \

Medical Definition of reserve

 (Entry 1 of 2)

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 (Entry 2 of 2)

: constituting or having the form or function of a reserve a reserve supply reserve strength

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reserve

transitive verb
re·​serve
reserved; reserving

Legal Definition of reserve

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: 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 (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on reserve

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with reserve

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reserve

Spanish Central: Translation of reserve

Nglish: Translation of reserve for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of reserve for Arabic Speakers

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