conserve

American  

[kuhn-surv, kon-surv, kuhn-surv] / kənˈsɜrv, ˈkɒn sɜrv, kənˈsɜrv /

verb (used with object)

conserves, present (3rd person singular) conserved, past participle, past conserving present participle

1. to prevent injury, decay, waste, or loss of.

   Conserve your strength for the race.

2. to use or manage (natural resources) wisely; preserve; save.

   Conserve the woodlands.

   Synonyms:

   safeguard, husband

3. Physics, Chemistry. to hold (a property) constant during an interaction or process.

   the interaction conserved linear momentum.

4. to preserve (fruit) by cooking with sugar or syrup.

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noun

1. Often conserves. a mixture of several fruits cooked to jamlike consistency with sugar and often garnished with nuts and raisins.

conserve British  

verb

1. to keep or protect from harm, decay, loss, etc

2. to preserve (a foodstuff, esp fruit) with sugar

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noun

1. a preparation of fruit in sugar, similar to jam but usually containing whole pieces of fruit

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonconserving
  adjective
• conservable
  adjective
• conserver
  noun
• unconserved
  adjective
• well-conserved
  adjective
• self-conserving
  adjective
• unconserving
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have conserved
  perfect
• has conserved
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been conserving
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is conserving
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been conserving
  perfect progressive
• am conserving
  progressive 1st person singular
• are conserving
  progressive
• conserving
  participle
• conserves
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had conserved
  perfect
• was conserving
  progressive singular
• had been conserving
  perfect progressive
• conserved
  participle
• were conserving
  progressive plural
• conserved
  simple

Future

• will conserve
  simple
• will have conserved
  perfect
• will have been conserving
  perfect progressive
• will be conserving
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of conserve

First recorded in 1325–75; (for the verb) Middle English, from Latin conservāre “to save, preserve”; equivalent to con- + serve; (for the noun) Middle English, from Middle French conserve, noun derivative of conserver, from Latin, as above

Explanation

To conserve is to save or protect something, like money, or your energy on a long run. People are also encouraged to conserve energy by turning off lights and not cranking the air conditioner. Conserve is from the Latin for "to keep, preserve, guard" (conservare). Con means "together," so "together" we can "serve" the planet by not doing doughnuts in the wetlands on our jet skis. You can conserve the planet or a little something for yourself — you might conserve hot water so you can wash your hair later, or try to conserve your old bedroom when you go off to college (and your mom is ready for a home office).

Example Sentences

Conserve cash: The first resort for any company facing a tough time is to reduce its expenses.

From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025

“Now we’re trying to get everybody to get on one single, consensus plan,” which is a tremendous effort, said Ed Andrechak, water program manager at Conserve Southwest Utah.

From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2023

The Conserve our Future King County committee raised more than $355,000, with some of the largest donations coming from Amazon, Microsoft, The Nature Conservancy, REI and Forterra, a Seattle-based land conservation group.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2022

Switching into Conserve mode lowers the ride height and operates front-axle motors alone to save juice.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2021

“Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? Conserve energy?”

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Related Words

• hoard
• maintain
• preserve
• safeguard
• sustain
• take care of