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.
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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.
-
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
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to prepare (food), as by freezing, drying, or salting, so that it will resist decomposition
-
to make preserves of (fruit, etc)
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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.
But I now recognize the need for tech measures to preserve the secret.
The military said the indictments were withdrawn in part due to "exceptional circumstances that negatively affected the ability to prosecute the case while also preserving the right for a fair trial of the defendants".
From BBC
How do you make the argument that they are worth preserving?
Because it can withstand weathering, erosion and long journeys through rivers and coastlines, zircon grains can survive for millions of years while preserving information about their geological history.
From Science Daily
Lead author Dr. Alice Clement from Flinders University's Palaeontology Lab says the work is gradually revealing the remarkable diversity of lungfish preserved at the Gogo fossil site.
From Science Daily
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.
