reservation

American  

[rez-er-vey-shuhn] / ˌrɛz ərˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

• reservations
  plural

1. the act of keeping back, withholding, or setting apart.

2. the act of making an exception or qualification.

3. an exception or qualification made expressly or tacitly.

   to accept something, but with inner reservations.

4. a tract of public land set apart for a special purpose, as for the use of an Indian tribe.

5. an arrangement to secure accommodations at a restaurant or hotel, on a boat or plane, etc.

6. the record kept or assurance given of such an arrangement.

   Sorry, the hotel has no reservation under that name.

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reservation British  

/ ˌrɛzəˈveɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of reserving

2. something reserved, esp hotel accommodation, a seat on an aeroplane, in a theatre, etc

3. (often plural) a stated or unstated qualification of opinion that prevents one's wholehearted acceptance of a proposal, claim, statement, etc

4. an area of land set aside, esp (in the US) for American Indian peoples

5. the strip of land between the two carriageways of a dual carriageway

6. the act or process of keeping back, esp for oneself; withholding

7. law a right or interest retained by the grantor in property granted, conveyed, leased, etc, to another

   a reservation of rent

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreservation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reservations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of reservation

1350–1400; Middle English reservacioun < Middle French reservation, equivalent to reserv ( er ) to reserve + -ation -ation

Explanation

A reservation is something set aside, like a table at a restaurant or land for Native Americans. For fancy restaurants and hotels, you need a reservation: you call ahead and ask them to set aside a table or room for you. A reservation is also a piece of land set aside by the government for a group. In the U.S., there are Native American reservations. Sometimes a reservation is a doubt. If you have reservations about taking a trip to Australia, then you're not sure about it. You're not rushing to make reservations at a hotel there.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reservation reservations

Lunchgoers love the leisurely nature of the meal, citing its more laid-back feel and the relative ease of getting a reservation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

This is a plan-in-advance activity, because getting a coveted table at the luxe restaurant — which is small relative to the size of the museum — requires a reservation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Nine are made using a reservation system and the tenth is offered via auction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

She moved first to the beach, then to a reservation, and later, to the middle of nowhere - all in an effort to escape the feeling she was being tricked.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

“Just a moment, Mr. Winter. Your reservation number?”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

“I’ve got great reservations and deep doubts about the effect of the new plan to get rid of all parking and choke traffic down to one lane,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Jay Katzeff, the president of Canadian rental and real-estate company Cottage Vacations, said he has seen a 110 percent bump in the number of reservations next summer compared to this time last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

But his plan ran up against opposition from some of the heirs as well as reservations from Delfin's board of directors.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

In those cases, early reservations can be critical.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

But my parents allowed Cade to live there with me during that time, despite Dad’s reservations about my friend.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

Related Words

• doubt
• restriction
• skepticism