preserve

American  

[pri-zurv] / prɪˈzɜrv /

verb (used with object)

• preserves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• preserved,
  past participle,  past
• preserving
  present participle

1. to keep alive or in existence; make lasting.

   to preserve our liberties as free citizens.

   Synonyms:

   conserve

   Antonyms:

   destroy

2. to keep safe from harm or injury; protect or spare.

   Synonyms:

   shield, shelter, safeguard

3. to keep up; maintain.

   to preserve historical monuments.

   Synonyms:

   sustain, keep up, continue

4. to keep possession of; retain.

   to preserve one's composure.

5. to prepare (food or any perishable substance) so as to resist decomposition or fermentation.

6. to prepare (fruit, vegetables, etc.) by cooking with sugar, pickling, canning, or the like.

7. to maintain and reserve (game, fish, etc.) for continued survival or for private use, as in hunting or fishing.

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verb (used without object)

• preserves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• preserved,
  past participle,  past
• preserving
  present participle

1. to preserve fruit, vegetables, etc.; make preserves.

2. to maintain a preserve for game or fish, especially for sport.

noun

• preserves
  plural

1. something that preserves.

2. that which is preserved.

3. Usually preserves. fruit, vegetables, etc., prepared by cooking with sugar.

4. a place set apart for protection and propagation of game or fish, especially for sport.

preserve British  

/ ˌprɛzəˈveɪʃən, prɪˈzɜːv /

verb

1. to keep safe from danger or harm; protect

2. to protect from decay or dissolution; maintain

   to preserve old buildings

3. to maintain possession of; keep up

   to preserve a façade of indifference

4. to prevent from decomposition or chemical change

5. to prepare (food), as by freezing, drying, or salting, so that it will resist decomposition

6. to make preserves of (fruit, etc)

7. to rear and protect (game) in restricted places for hunting or fishing

8. (intr) to maintain protection and favourable conditions for game in preserves

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noun

1. something that preserves or is preserved

2. a special area or domain

   archaeology is the preserve of specialists

3. (usually plural) fruit, etc, prepared by cooking with sugar

4. areas where game is reared for private hunting or fishing

Synonym Usage

See defend.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preservability
  noun
• preservation
  noun
• preserver
  noun
• nonpreservable
  adjective
• preservable
  adjective
• unpreservable
  adjective
• preservably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• preserves
  plural

Participles

• preserving
  present
• preserved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• preserve
  simple
• preserves
  simple
• have preserved
  perfect
• has preserved
  perfect
• am preserving
  progressive
• are preserving
  progressive
• is preserving
  progressive
• have been preserving
  perfect progressive
• has been preserving
  perfect progressive

Past

• preserved
  simple
• had preserved
  perfect
• was preserving
  progressive
• were preserving
  progressive
• had been preserving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will preserve
  simple
• will have preserved
  perfect
• will be preserving
  progressive
• will have been preserving
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preserve preserves preserved preserving

Some Late Stage Management investors have hired lawyers or filed complaints with the SEC to recover and preserve their pre-IPO SpaceX shares.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The goal is simple: preserve the look and legacy of a neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

She welcomed Wednesday's ruling, saying she had "pursued all available legal avenues" so as to "preserve the small amount of justice afforded to the Lovell family".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

And how do we balance the need for more housing with the need to preserve our history?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

For to preserve the old orthodoxy it would have been necessary to insist that the world’s land masses were confined to one hemisphere.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The fossil also preserves features on Urokodia's legs that may have served as book gills, allowing the animal to breathe underwater.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

I studied the pastries while pretending not to listen: tea-infused buns knotted with candied citrus, laminated pastry layered with spiced cream cheese, craggy oat muffins dotted with boysenberry preserves.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

That way, she preserves the inheritance while generating a modest stream of additional cash.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

She marshals the data to show how women continue to face unique impediments to success, and how both men and women justify their actions in a way that preserves the status quo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

“The preserves are protected by powerful magic. But I lend an ear to the news all the same. Rarely hurts to be cautious.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

The rooms feature many vintage collectibles that Steve Baker had meticulously preserved.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

"The scene of the incident has been documented and processed to ensure that all relevant evidence is collected and preserved," Kawala added.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

While Baker had meticulously preserved the vintage collectibles in his family’s historic home, he often struggled to afford structural repairs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

One examined bite marks preserved on dinosaur bones, offering physical evidence of interactions between the giant crocodilian and dinosaurs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Decades later, it was found by scientists, who marveled at the appearance of this perfectly preserved ocean mollusk in the middle of a desert.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

“We are preserving and restoring the past for future generations to see what happened in 1887 in Monrovia — and how and why.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Some have hired lawyers to file a complaint against Late Stage, with the purpose of recovering and preserving their pre-IPO shares of SpaceX.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

That could make advanced tools less wasteful and more economical while preserving the extreme hardness required for industrial use.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

I would like to invest these funds in a financial vehicle that can generate additional income to supplement our monthly Social Security benefits while preserving the original principal for future emergencies.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

Regardless of what material you are trying to incorporate, thoroughly understanding the aesthetics and values will be highly beneficial to preserving the integrity and authenticity of both the music and culture.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• conserve
• defend
• freeze
• keep
• perpetuate
• protect
• retain
• safeguard
• save
• secure
• store
• sustain
• uphold