reservation

American  

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

noun

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

• nonreservation noun

Etymology

Origin of reservation

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

Example Sentences

When the X user questions the agent—saying he thought the property was now accepting reservations for anyone—the agent appears to say “that’s just policy.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Still, he has reservations about AI’s overall effects on medicine.

From The Wall Street Journal

When I worked at Manhattan restaurants like Babbo, Carbone and the Grill—still some of the city’s toughest reservations to get—I understood I was responsible for anticipating guests’ needs.

From The Wall Street Journal

A priority for smart digital assistants has long been booking restaurant reservations, dating back to when OpenTable was a launch partner for an app called Siri, before Siri was purchased by Apple.

From The Wall Street Journal

Rental car estimates: Rental car companies will be required to provide customers with a good-faith estimate of the total charges, including taxes and fees, when providing a price quote for a reservation.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• doubt
• restriction
• skepticism