preserve
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to keep up; maintain.
to preserve historical monuments.
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to keep possession of; retain.
to preserve one's composure.
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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)
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to preserve fruit, vegetables, etc.; make preserves.
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to maintain a preserve for game or fish, especially for sport.
noun
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something that preserves.
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that which is preserved.
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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
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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)
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to rear and protect (game) in restricted places for hunting or fishing
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(intr) to maintain protection and favourable conditions for game in preserves
noun
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something that preserves or is preserved
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a special area or domain
archaeology is the preserve of specialists
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(usually plural) fruit, etc, prepared by cooking with sugar
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areas where game is reared for private hunting or fishing
Related Words
See defend.
Other Word Forms
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.
So what’s the solution for managers looking over their shoulders and trying to preserve their careers in changing times?
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have uncovered a built in process that can remove existing amyloid plaques from the brains of mouse models of Alzheimer's disease while also helping preserve memory and thinking ability.
From Science Daily • May 2, 2026
How do you preserve history without being seen to revive beliefs that people have consciously moved away from?
From BBC • May 2, 2026
As an American Library Assn. accredited librarian, Oakley founded the LA Drag Archive, a physical and digital collection of drag and gender-variant performances, to honor and preserve the legacy of the art form.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
