preserve
Americanverb (used with object)
-
preserves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preserved,
past participle, past
-
preserving
present participle
-
to keep alive or in existence; make lasting.
to preserve our liberties as free citizens.
- Synonyms:
- conserve
- Antonyms:
- destroy
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to keep safe from harm or injury; protect or spare.
-
to keep up; maintain.
to preserve historical monuments.
-
to keep possession of; retain.
to preserve one's composure.
-
to prepare (food or any perishable substance) so as to resist decomposition or fermentation.
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to prepare (fruit, vegetables, etc.) by cooking with sugar, pickling, canning, or the like.
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to maintain and reserve (game, fish, etc.) for continued survival or for private use, as in hunting or fishing.
verb (used without object)
-
preserves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preserved,
past participle, past
-
preserving
present participle
-
to preserve fruit, vegetables, etc.; make preserves.
-
to maintain a preserve for game or fish, especially for sport.
noun
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preserves
plural
-
something that preserves.
-
that which is preserved.
-
Usually preserves. fruit, vegetables, etc., prepared by cooking with sugar.
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a place set apart for protection and propagation of game or fish, especially for sport.
verb
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to keep safe from danger or harm; protect
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to protect from decay or dissolution; maintain
to preserve old buildings
-
to maintain possession of; keep up
to preserve a façade of indifference
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to prevent from decomposition or chemical change
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to prepare (food), as by freezing, drying, or salting, so that it will resist decomposition
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to make preserves of (fruit, etc)
-
to rear and protect (game) in restricted places for hunting or fishing
-
(intr) to maintain protection and favourable conditions for game in preserves
noun
-
something that preserves or is preserved
-
a special area or domain
archaeology is the preserve of specialists
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(usually plural) fruit, etc, prepared by cooking with sugar
-
areas where game is reared for private hunting or fishing
Synonym Usage
See defend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preservabilitynoun
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preservationnoun
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preservernoun
-
nonpreservableadjective
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preservableadjective
-
unpreservableadjective
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preservablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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preservesimple
-
preservessimple
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have preservedperfect
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has preservedperfect
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am preservingprogressive
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are preservingprogressive
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is preservingprogressive
-
have been preservingperfect progressive
-
has been preservingperfect progressive
Past
-
preservedsimple
-
had preservedperfect
-
was preservingprogressive
-
were preservingprogressive
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had been preservingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of preserve
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English preserven, from Medieval Latin praeservāre “to guard” ( Late Latin: “to observe”), equivalent to Latin prae- prefix meaning “before, prior to, in advance” ( see pre-) + servāre “to watch over, keep, preserve, observe”
Explanation
When you preserve something, you maintain its condition, like trying to preserve your good health by exercising regularly and eating right. The verb preserve describes keeping something as it is now, without a decline in quality. It can also refer to keeping something safe from harm, as in “The group worked hard to preserve the regional ecosystem.” When you preserve food, such as fruit, you keep it from rotting. Jellies and jams are preserves, the noun form. A preserve can also be lands set aside, or preserved, as animal habitats.
Vocabulary lists containing preserve
The Bill of Rights
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"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cambodian architect Meng Sovanlylin, 32, is among those who have been trained by the French to help preserve and investigate her country's heritage.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
That bright idea could be the key to not only preserve Quechua, but to further spread its seeds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026
“I also want to preserve the opportunity to leave a meaningful legacy for my two sons.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
The key, I think, for the oversight committees will be to really preserve a record of where all that money went.
From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2026
Wilson’s main concern had been to preserve America’s neutrality.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
“This is an institution that preserves greatness,” Anderson said of the honor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Wyoming's Sundance Formation, which preserves evidence of an ancient inland sea that once stretched across much of the western United States, has yielded millions of these fossils.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
Use of the market path accomplishes at least two things that are important to Warsh: It preserves market signals and it gets the Fed out of forward interest-rate guidance.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Danish officials have described the deal differently, stressing it preserves Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Waiting for her on the table was hot-water corn bread smeared with the apple preserves.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
It’s one of the city’s most traditional dishes: meat slowly cooked for hours in a clay urn with preserved lemon, garlic and spices, traditionally using the heat from a hammam furnace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
"Our proposal also ensures a substantial part of the site is preserved for new public open space, green links, retained habitat, and the long-term enhancement of key woodland corridors."
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
To investigate what happened, the researchers turned to an unexpected source of evidence: frogs preserved in museum collections decades earlier.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
The team analyzed samples from more than 370 preserved amphibians representing 17 species, searching for evidence of chytrid infection and tracking how frequently the fungus appeared over time.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
Amy preserved a discreet silence, but there was a conscious look in her downcast face that made Laurie sit up and say gravely, “Now I’m going to play brother, and ask questions. May I?”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
But conservationists behind those bans are getting pushback from the very countries that have been among the most successful at preserving their herds and prides.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026
Ballard, 57, of Mill Valley, will serve alongside eight other commissioners tasked with designating state historical landmarks and preserving the state’s cultural heritage, following the appointment made Friday evening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2026
Replacing the three original devices together was necessary to reduce electricity consumption while preserving the proper distribution of heat throughout Voyager 1.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
Its role "is built on a simple principle - preserving life," Detective Superintendent Andrew Evans said.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Most copies will have been thrown away long before it occurred to anyone that the book was worth preserving simply because it was old and rare.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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