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  

/ 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

Whatever their origins, these monuments, Mr. Warrack reminds us, are part of our shared human heritage; as their inheritors, it is our responsibility to understand and preserve them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The researchers used high pressure freezing electron microscopy to preserve their delicate shapes before examining them with beams of electrons.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Scientists involved in the project said the international collaboration offered a rare opportunity to prevent the extinction of a unique plant lineage and preserve part of the natural heritage of the Juan Fernández archipelago.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Co-sponsored by a mix of Republicans and Democrats, the bill could help preserve the conference-based rights marketplace on which ESPN’s college-sports business depends.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

He was lower in rank, but they followed and did everything he suggested, and to preserve their dignity, they teased him.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

And if you start — or end — the meal with Wisconsin cheese, don’t skip the apricot preserves alongside it.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

"Equal Earth preserves the relative surface areas of continents and, as much as possible, shows their shapes as they appear on a globe," one of the cartographers, Bojan Savric, told AFP in 2025.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Instead he prefers a single reminder to all that preserves team unity.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

The fossil primarily preserves parts of the limbs, and at first glance, this type of material may seem limited, but it carries important information about the animal’s locomotion and evolutionary relationships.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

“I saved the last of the preserves for you,” Jojo announced.

From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper

That relationship allows researchers to use the chemical signature preserved in fossil teeth as a kind of ancient thermometer.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

By analyzing DNA from the plague bacterium preserved in archaeological human remains, scientists were able to reconstruct how the disease spread, evolved, and repeatedly reappeared long after the Black Death.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

But on some occasions, he said, he had been told that records run by homes of different religious orders were "destroyed in floods, fires... only for it later to transpire that they have been preserved".

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

“Scientific American” cautioned in 1939 that “as much water as possible must be preserved to replenish ground water storage.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

They paid cash, no questions asked, and preserved particularly interesting bits of diseased viscera in large clear bottles.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Second, U.S. companies should promote cooperation among democracies to mitigate risks while preserving their technological edge over China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

"For me they're an absolute treasure - like an Egyptian artefact... as valuable as that," he added - "and preserving them is a duty to our children and grandchildren".

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Because existing therapies can have limitations and side effects, researchers are looking for new biological targets that could lead to more effective ways of preserving or rebuilding bone.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

Rosales adores our pictures as much as we do, if not more, and “East of the River” confirms her boundless affection for the women whose likenesses and cultural contributions she’s devoted to preserving.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Inge dedicated her life to working for peace and preserving the memory of her brother Hans and sister Sophie.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

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