reserve

American  

[ri-zurv] / rɪˈzɜrv /

verb (used with object)

reserves, present (3rd person singular) reserved, past participle, past reserving present participle

1. to keep back or save for future use, disposal, treatment, etc.

   Synonyms:

   store, hold, husband

   Antonyms:

   squander

2. to retain or secure by express stipulation.

3. to set apart for a particular use, purpose, service, etc..

   ground reserved for gardening.

4. to keep for oneself.

5. to retain (the original color) of a surface, as on a painted ceramic piece.

6. to save or set aside (a portion of the Eucharistic elements) to be administered, as to the sick, outside of the Mass or communion service.

---

noun

reserves plural

1. Finance.

   1. cash, or assets readily convertible into cash, held aside, as by a corporation, bank, state or national government, etc., to meet expected or unexpected demands.

   2. uninvested cash held to comply with legal requirements.

2. something kept or stored for use or need; stock.

   a reserve of food.

   Synonyms:

   supply

3. a resource not normally called upon but available if needed.

4. a tract of public land set apart for a special purpose.

   a forest reserve.

5. an act of reserving; reservation, exception, or qualification.

   I will do what you ask, but with one reserve.

6. Military.

   1. a fraction of a military force held in readiness to sustain the attack or defense made by the rest of the force.

   2. the part of a country's fighting force not in active service.

   3. reserves, the enrolled but not regular components of the U.S. Army.

7. formality and self-restraint in manner and relationship; avoidance of familiarity or intimacy with others.

   to conduct oneself with reserve.

   Antonyms:

   warmth

8. reticence or silence.

   Synonyms:

   coldness, constraint, taciturnity

   Antonyms:

   warmth

adjective

1. kept in reserve; forming a reserve.

   a reserve fund; a reserve supply.

2. of or relating to the animal awarded second place in livestock shows.

   the reserve champion steer.

idioms

1. without reserve,

   1. without restraint; frankly; freely.

   2. (of articles at auction) without limitation as to the terms of sale, especially with no stipulated minimum price.

2. in reserve, put aside or withheld for a future need; reserved.

   money in reserve.

reserve British  

/ rɪˈzɜːv /

verb

1. to keep back or set aside, esp for future use or contingency; withhold

2. to keep for oneself; retain

   I reserve the right to question these men later

3. to obtain or secure by advance arrangement

   I have reserved two tickets for tonight's show

4. to delay delivery of (a judgment), esp in order to allow time for full consideration of the issues involved

---

noun

1. 1. something kept back or set aside, esp for future use or contingency

   2. ( as modifier )

      a reserve stock

2. the state or condition of being reserved

   I have plenty in reserve

3. a tract of land set aside for the protection and conservation of wild animals, flowers, etc

   a nature reserve

4. Also called: reservation.  an area of land set aside, esp (in the US and Canada) for American or Canadian Indian peoples

5. an area of publicly owned land set aside for sport, recreation, etc

6. the act of reserving; reservation

7. a member of a team who only plays if a playing member drops out; a substitute

8. (often plural)

   1. a part of an army or formation not committed to immediate action in a military engagement

   2. that part of a nation's armed services not in active service

9. coolness or formality of manner; restraint, silence, or reticence

10. finance

    1. a portion of capital not invested (a capital reserve ) or a portion of profits not distributed (a revenue or general reserve ) by a bank or business enterprise and held to meet legal requirements, future liabilities, or contingencies

    2. (often plural) liquid assets held by an organization, government, etc, to meet expenses and liabilities

11. without reservations; fully; wholeheartedly

Synonym Usage

See keep.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreserve
  noun
• reserver
  noun
• nonreservable
  adjective
• reservable
  adjective
• reserveless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reserves
  plural

Participles

• reserving
  present
• reserved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reserve
  simple
• reserves
  simple
• have reserved
  perfect
• has reserved
  perfect
• am reserving
  progressive
• are reserving
  progressive
• is reserving
  progressive
• have been reserving
  perfect progressive
• has been reserving
  perfect progressive

Past

• reserved
  simple
• had reserved
  perfect
• was reserving
  progressive
• were reserving
  progressive
• had been reserving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reserve
  simple
• will have reserved
  perfect
• will be reserving
  progressive
• will have been reserving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of reserve

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English reserven (verb) from Middle French reserver, from Latin reservāre “to keep back, retain,” equivalent to re- re- + servāre “to save”

Explanation

As a noun, reserve refers to the quality of a shy or modest person who doesn’t easily express his or her feelings. As a verb, to reserve is to stash something away or to set it aside for future use. Reserve can also refer to backup supplies or resources. If a military is running out of ammunition or food, they may have to dig into the reserve to replenish their supplies. Reserve is also used as a verb to mean "obtain in advance." If you’re expecting a big crowd at your sister's dance recital, you might show up early to reserve seats for your family members. You could also reserve a table at a restaurant for dinner after the show.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reserve reserves reserved reserving

And around 30 IEA countries had between more than a billion barrels of oil in reserve.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Department of Energy announced that the reserve fell to about 311 million barrels of oil over the previous week, the lowest level since March 1983.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

The Department of Energy released 5.1 million barrels of oil from the SPR, leaving the reserve holding 311.4 million barrels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

A record number of osprey chicks have delighted birdwatchers at a nature reserve.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

“We have to get her out tonight and take her to the reserve in Baba’s nauka. Without asking him.”

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

The World Bank and IMF have restored contacts with the Venezuelan government since that ouster, and the Fund has so far provided around $346 million from the country's reserves with the multilateral lender.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

But it’s not just American oil reserves that have diminished since the beginning of the war in February.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

The BlueNord assets contribute around 45,000 barrels of oil-equivalent a day of net production and around 195 million barrels of proved and probable reserves plus potentially recoverable resources, extending production beyond 2040.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

What follows — the drained reserves, the mismatched oil, the strained grid and the price we all pay — is the fallout.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

I love plucking them from the tawa, the cast-iron pan my mom reserves for this specialty, with a little pat of butter.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

The reserved economist has also shown a combative streak.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

It means £238m a year will be reserved for the entry-level payment - known as the scheme's universal layer.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

As you think about how much of your portfolio you can reasonably spend down, make sure you have money set aside in an account that’s easy to access and reserved for emergencies.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

The rare and valuable works are not in regular circulation in the library and must be reserved and checked out, officials said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

The top drawer was reserved for random items—handheld pencil sharpeners, school glue, masking tape, abnormally small screwdrivers, things like that.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

Companies will increasingly migrate “midtier” AI tasks to cheaper models, while reserving frontier-model usage for more complex multistep agentic processes, Sen said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

You don’t want them reserving a Monday-night slot and having the game delayed by weather, or worse, called off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

For other passengers, reserving a seat is optional.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

While praising the VA for reserving the contract for businesses owned by disabled veterans, Sherin said the plan lacks the ingredient he views as most important.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

She unloads a tray of them from the delivery cart, reserving two to eat later.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Related Words

• defer
• hoard
• maintain
• preserve
• retain
• save
• set aside
• stockpile
• withhold