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

• conserves
  plural

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

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• conserves
  plural

Participles

• conserving
  present
• conserved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• conserve
  simple
• conserves
  simple
• have conserved
  perfect
• has conserved
  perfect
• am conserving
  progressive
• are conserving
  progressive
• is conserving
  progressive
• have been conserving
  perfect progressive
• has been conserving
  perfect progressive

Past

• conserved
  simple
• had conserved
  perfect
• was conserving
  progressive
• were conserving
  progressive
• had been conserving
  perfect progressive

Future

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

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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

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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

See Examples For:

conserve conserves conserved conserving

Soldiers flew drones during limited windows and for half the maximum flight time to conserve battery and avoid losing them, and without full autonomy or any AI to assist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Roman used far less fuel than expected during its first course correction, carried additional propellant at launch, and is projected to conserve even more during its second mid-course correction and orbital insertion.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Now, a new £1m scheme is aiming to restore and conserve more than 4,000 acres of habitats at Eryri, also known as Snowdonia.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

The waterway is set to reduce daily traffic from 36 to 32 ships a day in an effort to conserve water amid a severe drought likely to last until mid-2027.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Some tried to work as little as possible so they could conserve their energy.

From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren

However, in line with international norms, citrus-based conserves will need to be distinguished as a separate type of product, and will have to be sold using the new legal name "citrus marmalade".

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026

"Once you get it moving, it isn't hard at all - people are pulling with one arm. It conserves energy, and it moves really quickly," said Lipo.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2025

Beyond 2023-24, the Kraken limiting Dunn’s deal term hedges bets and conserves future cap space — knowing bigger contracts await Matty Beniers and potentially top draft picks such as Shane Wright and Ryker Evans.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2023

In contrast, reducing waste generation conserves natural resources and avoids other negative environmental impacts throughout a product's life.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2023

The program reduces pollution and conserves natural resources.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

The state is responsible for about 10% of conserved land, with nonprofits, local governments, tribes and other entities making up the rest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

“You’ll often read articles about conservation or about art that has been conserved and the name of the conservator is never mentioned.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

After major credit-ratings firms downgraded Whirlpool’s debt to junk status, it raised money by selling new shares, and conserved money by suspending the dividend it had paid for 70 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

If properly conserved, they can last for hundreds of years.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

And if he’s conserved his energy, like that eagle might conserve for a hunt, this is the time to let it fly.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

After adding more than a million acres in the last year, California is on track to meet its goal of conserving 30% of its land by 2030, officials announced Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

A recent survey by Susquehanna Polling and Research found that 77 percent of likely voters believe that "conserving national forests and other roadless lands for current and future generations" is paramount.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

The results suggest that gluons, the particles that act as the glue holding quarks together, may play a key role in carrying and conserving baryon number.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Neither study questions the value of protected areas for conserving biodiversity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Somehow you’ve gotten onto the idea of conserving energy whenever possible.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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Related Words

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

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