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)
-
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.
-
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
-
to keep safe from danger or harm; protect
-
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
-
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
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areas where game is reared for private hunting or fishing
Related Words
See defend.
Other Word Forms
- nonpreservable adjective
- preservability noun
- preservable adjective
- preservably adverb
- preservation noun
- preserver noun
- unpreservable adjective
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” ( pre- ) + servāre “to watch over, keep, preserve, observe”
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.
The agreement provided Intel access to equity-like capital while allowing it to preserve its balance sheet and focus on strategic priorities.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Chromosomal inversions do more than preserve helpful traits.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
Yet nothing was done to preserve or mark it.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
"But we have to preserve and conserve murals. They are important in Los Angeles."
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
Naturalists could catch, preserve, and study specimens among themselves, of course.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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.
