reservation

American  

[rez-er-vay-shuhn] / ˌrɛz ərˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

• reservations
  plural

1. the act of keeping back, withholding, or setting apart.

2. the act of making an exception or qualification.

3. an exception or qualification made expressly or tacitly.

   to accept something, but with inner reservations.

4. a tract of public land set apart for a special purpose, as for the use of an Indian tribe.

5. an arrangement to secure accommodations at a restaurant or hotel, on a boat or plane, etc.

6. the record kept or assurance given of such an arrangement.

   Sorry, the hotel has no reservation under that name.

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reservation British  

/ ˌrɛzəˈveɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of reserving

2. something reserved, esp hotel accommodation, a seat on an aeroplane, in a theatre, etc

3. (often plural) a stated or unstated qualification of opinion that prevents one's wholehearted acceptance of a proposal, claim, statement, etc

4. an area of land set aside, esp (in the US) for American Indian peoples

5. the strip of land between the two carriageways of a dual carriageway

6. the act or process of keeping back, esp for oneself; withholding

7. law a right or interest retained by the grantor in property granted, conveyed, leased, etc, to another

   a reservation of rent

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreservation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reservations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of reservation

1350–1400; Middle English reservacioun < Middle French reservation, equivalent to reserv ( er ) to reserve + -ation -ation

Explanation

A reservation is something set aside, like a table at a restaurant or land for Native Americans. For fancy restaurants and hotels, you need a reservation: you call ahead and ask them to set aside a table or room for you. A reservation is also a piece of land set aside by the government for a group. In the U.S., there are Native American reservations. Sometimes a reservation is a doubt. If you have reservations about taking a trip to Australia, then you're not sure about it. You're not rushing to make reservations at a hotel there.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reservation reservations

“What I would want to caution people against is thinking that the thirst or the engagement is the end — that’s been my reservation with it,” she said.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

Stay on top of your reservation and know your rights, whether you get advance notice of seat changes or find out at the airport, like Prati.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

As of this writing, the next reservation for two is not available until Nov. 18.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

The system could automatically respond to a text message asking about when your flight arrives, or place a restaurant reservation based on a conversation.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Upon arrival in the town or reservation, Irwin would trot the horses off the railcars and straight to the nearest back road or bullring, where he would implement a nearly fail-safe betting system.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

On the other hand, little digital companions can make AI more palatable to users, providing an entry point to show off real-world capabilities such as ordering groceries or booking reservations.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

Based on what is happening in the stock market, investors have reservations too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Pollard, whose business only employs one other person, said she had received "horrendous" abuse online from disappointed guests who thought she was responsible for the fake reservations for properties that did not exist.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

That new renaissance is now increasingly connected to agentic software – or programs capable of automatically completing tasks like managing calendars, booking reservations and sorting through email.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Some people had even slipped away from the reservations to join the gathering.

From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III

Related Words

• doubt
• restriction
• skepticism