reservation

American  

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

noun

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

• nonreservation noun

Etymology

Origin of reservation

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

Example Sentences

Data from OpenTable showed that U.S. reservation trends were still positive, but less so last week than in the past, the UBS analysts said.

From MarketWatch

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, had expressed some reservations about his chamber’s bill, but stressed that workers needed their paychecks.

From MarketWatch

Stewart continued to find audiences in Texas dance halls, as well as on the Native American reservations of the Southwest.

From The Wall Street Journal

Indian tribes retained the right to conduct Nevada-style casinos on reservations in 2000, a form of gambling that is otherwise prohibited through the state’s Constitution.

From Los Angeles Times

Hertz is offering up to 25% off the price of last-minute reservations and one-way car rentals at thousands of airports and neighborhood locations.

From Barron's

Related Words

• doubt
• restriction
• skepticism