reservation

American  

[rez-er-vey-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

Committee members have received the task forces with a mix of enthusiasm and reservation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Environmental and park advocates argued for the reservation system, saying that it not only protected the wildlife and land, but also that it was popular among guests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The increase in visitors is, in part, because the National Park Service is not using a timed-entry reservation system this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Catherine Garcia scanned her Lightning Lane pass at the entrance to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and immediately started scrolling to secure the next reservation at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

“Well,” she says, “I’m a Penobscot Indian on my father’s side. When I was young, we lived on a reservation near Old Town.”

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

A peek into the future of restaurant reservations: If you’re making plans for a fancy dinner this weekend, take note: A big “upgrade” is coming to your favorite restaurants—to diners’ detriment.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

The park service planned to use visitor feedback and research to guide how reservations would be rolled out in 2025.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Just with no reservations, no bottomless anything and, ideally, very few dishes.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

They became exacerbated ahead of Tuesday's vote - which FdI's junior partners had reservations about - eventually culminating in the defeat of the amendment.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

I made the identical arguments that I had been making all along, and many people expressed reservations.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• doubt
• restriction
• skepticism