preserve
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
to keep up; maintain.
to preserve historical monuments.
-
to keep possession of; retain.
to preserve one's composure.
-
to prepare (food or any perishable substance) so as to resist decomposition or fermentation.
-
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.
-
to maintain a preserve for game or fish, especially for sport.
noun
-
something that preserves.
-
that which is preserved.
-
Usually preserves. fruit, vegetables, etc., prepared by cooking with sugar.
-
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
-
to maintain possession of; keep up
to preserve a façade of indifference
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to prevent from decomposition or chemical change
-
to prepare (food), as by freezing, drying, or salting, so that it will resist decomposition
-
to make preserves of (fruit, etc)
-
to rear and protect (game) in restricted places for hunting or fishing
-
(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
-
(usually plural) fruit, etc, prepared by cooking with sugar
-
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.
In 1931 he was asked by Britain's poultry club to help preserve the breed, whose numbers had dwindled due to changing tastes.
From BBC
His distinctive gravelly voice and slide guitar-playing are preserved in songs such as Road to Hell, Auberge, On the Beach and Driving Home for Christmas.
From BBC
"We should be realistic in the current circumstances. At best, I think we should try to preserve what we have," he said.
From Barron's
A Department for Education spokesperson said the government was committed to ensuring art, music and drama "are no longer the preserve of a privileged few".
From BBC
When tariffs are imposed, these producers frequently reduce pretariff prices and absorb margin losses to preserve market share rather than pass costs through.
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.
