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

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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”

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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

He said the firm would cover all losses from its emergency reserve set up for such situations, and make up the rest with company funds.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Losses will be covered by the Secure Asset Fund for Users, a reserve fund of around $1 billion used in cases of extreme breaches, and the company’s funds.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Binance suspended withdrawals and said it plans to tap an emergency reserve fund and company assets to keep customers whole, though it’s not clear how long this could take.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Chevron’s $53 billion purchase of Hess—motivated in large part by the company’s 30% stake in the Exxon-led Guyana consortium—helped it catch up, boosting its reserve replacement ratio to 158% last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

So, when we finally come to Wotton’s formulation of a tacit reserve, we encounter, for the first time, a sound comprehension of the nature of scientific knowledge.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

In September the economy ministry ordered a state-owned energy company to boost gas reserves, citing "ongoing geopolitical risks".

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Prolonged withdrawal restrictions or doubts about exchanges’ reserves could cause lenders and market makers to retreat, draining liquidity across platforms, Zhang says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

The government has sought emergency financing, including through the sale of gold reserves, to pay suppliers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

China is starting to raise imports and the global release of emergency oil reserves are almost done, said McNally.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

It is especially striking that Australia has some of the world’s richest iron and aluminum deposits, as well as rich reserves of copper, tin, lead, and zinc.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Luc Brearley, a 32-year-old teacher, was more reserved about the Obama effect.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

During Isak's struggles in an injury-plagued campaign in 2025-26, the belief inside the club was that this was a long-term signing and any judgement would be reserved for when he was fully fit.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

Andøya’s single launchpad is reserved for Isar for up to 20 years, and plans to conduct some 30 launches in the next few years, but Olsen said the company plans to build more pads.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

The transformation from on-court assassin to reserved father of two is like Clark Kent and Superman, St. Jean said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Gran gasps, her hand flying to her mouth, and Dad’s eyes cut me with a glare that, until now, has always been reserved for Mom.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

The area's growing evangelical population meanwhile is reserving judgment on the visit.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Anyone wishing to take part in the free online conversation can do so by reserving a space on the event's booking website, external.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Gilroy added that, so far, four clubs have put in protective claims "reserving the right to claim compensation if City are found guilty".

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

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

At the end of Neville’s interview, Harry had the impression that Slughorn was reserving judgment on Neville, yet to see whether he had any of his parents’ flair.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

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Related Words

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

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