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.

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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

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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

Longford Nature Park is a small reserve which the city council has designated as being of high importance to the city.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

“We’re just going to keep ‘em all and see what happens,” Hortiz said, noting Branson Taylor will return from the injured reserve at some point too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

It has the largest and most important bond market, the most influential central bank, and the reserve currency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

After the move, each country accounted for 18.5 percent of the Dutch gold reserve.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Besides, I was out of practice in talking to him: his reserve was again frozen over, and my frankness was congealed beneath it.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

According to data released Monday by the People’s Bank of China, the reserves rose by $19.55 billion to $3.438 trillion in August.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

They began stashing more reserves in the New York Fed’s gold vault in the wake of WWII.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 6, 2026

Australia has quickly become a global destination for data centres, with investors attracted to the country's abundance of clean energy, natural gas reserves, and land to power and house their technologies.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

The agreement grants US access to more than 65 billion barrels -- almost 20 percent -- of oil in Venezuela, which holds the largest proven reserves in the world.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

By attacking along the Somme, the Germans expected to draw British reserves down from the north, where a second German attack would drive toward the English Channel seaports so crucial to British supply lines.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

He took a much more reserved approach related to the split with Callaway when talking to Front Office Sports the same day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Granted, the bar for Netflix movies has long since descended past Hell’s ninth circle, burrowing so low that it’s carved out a 10th reserved for the streamer’s original titles.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

Unlike many celebrity-owned islands, however, Copperfield’s paradise isn’t reserved solely for his own friends and family.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

In contrast to her boisterous outward appearance, Parton was notably reserved on other issues of day-to-day politics, citing a fanbase of all political stripes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Elizabeth reserved to herself the application for her mother’s.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Instead, customers are reserving compute capacity years in advance, often before the facilities required to provide it have even been completed.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 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

Instead, companies will find uses for cheaper models and steer most employees to low-cost workflows, reserving the high token use for software engineering teams.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

To clarify this point, I will often use the term ‘Sapiens’ to denote members of the species Homo sapiens, while reserving the term ‘human’ to refer to all extant members of the genus Homo.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

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