reservoir

noun

res·er·voir | \ ˈre-zə-ˌvwär,

-zər-, -ˌvwȯr also -ˌvȯi

Definition of reservoir

1 : a place where something is kept in store: such as

a : an artificial lake where water is collected and kept in quantity for use

b : a part of an apparatus in which a liquid is held

c : supply, store a large reservoir of educated people

2 : an extra supply : reserve

3 : an organism in which a parasite that is pathogenic for some other species lives and multiplies usually without damaging its host

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Examples of reservoir in a Sentence

The pen has a large ink reservoir. Colleges and universities provide reservoirs of talent for job recruiters. She found the reservoirs of energy she needed to finish the job.

Recent Examples on the Web

Using anti-slosh dams inside the reservoir, designers aimed to prevent fluid from moving around when low. — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, "The Winter Jacket That’s Also a Water Bottle," 1 Oct. 2018 The reservoir, or organism that the viruses naturally live and reproduce in, is still unknown. — Kimberly Hickok, Fox News, "Scientists discover a sixth species of Ebola virus — in bats," 27 Aug. 2018 The record heat and dry conditions apparently kept the bloom strong, allowing the toxins to spread from the reservoir, into the North Santiam River and finally into Salem's drinking water for the first time at dangerous levels. — Everton Bailey Jr., OregonLive.com, "1 dead, several injured in 3-car crash near Woodburn," 7 June 2018 How to Descale a Keurig Empty the water reservoir and, if applicable, the filter. — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, "How to Clean a Keurig Coffee Machine," 25 May 2018 Full lakes, many options Shasta, as the state’s largest reservoir, is often a testament to the year’s prospects. — Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "NorCal lakes heat up for boating, fishing, camping," 6 May 2018 The tap water, which comes from local aquifers (not the reservoirs that supply New York City with its world class water), tasted like chlorine. — Bob Morris, Town & Country, "A Users Guide to Bottled Water," 3 May 2018 These products may have come into contact with water from the reservoir in which the romaine outbreak strain of E. coli was found, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "Cauliflower Recalled for Possible E. Coli Contamination," 18 Dec. 2018 For this study, researchers examined rocks from these caldera-forming eruptions — and 21 smaller eruptions from the same volcano — to pinpoint how the reservoirs of magma underneath Campi Flegrei changed over time. — Mary Beth Griggs, The Verge, "An Italian volcano’s massive eruptions fit a pattern — and the cycle may have restarted," 14 Nov. 2018

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

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Last Updated

12 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for reservoir

The first known use of reservoir was in 1690

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More Definitions for reservoir

reservoir

noun

English Language Learners Definition of reservoir

: a usually artificial lake that is used to store a large supply of water for use in people's homes, in businesses, etc.

: a place (such as a part of a machine) where a liquid is stored

: an extra supply of something

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

reservoir

noun

res·er·voir | \ ˈre-zər-ˌvwär

Kids Definition of reservoir

: a place where something (as water) is kept in store for future use

reservoir

noun

res·er·voir | \ ˈrez-ə(r)v-ˌwär,

-ə(r)v-ˌ(w)ȯr

Medical Definition of reservoir

1 : a space (as an enlargement of a vessel or the cavity of a glandular acinus) in which a body fluid is stored

2 : an organism in which a parasite that is pathogenic for some other species lives and multiplies without damaging its host also : a noneconomic organism within which a pathogen of economic or medical importance flourishes without regard to its pathogenicity for the reservoir rats are reservoirs of plague — compare carrier sense 1a