reserve

[ri-zurv]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reserve ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), re·served, re·serv·ing.

to keep back or save for future use, disposal, treatment, etc.

to retain or secure by express stipulation.

to set apart for a particular use, purpose, service, etc.: ground reserved for gardening.

to keep for oneself.

to retain (the original color) of a surface, as on a painted ceramic piece.

to save or set aside (a portion of the Eucharistic elements) to be administered, as to the sick, outside of the Mass or communion service.

noun

Finance.

cash, or assets readily convertible into cash, held aside, as by a corporation, bank, state or national government, etc., to meet expected or unexpected demands.
uninvested cash held to comply with legal requirements.

something kept or stored for use or need; stock: a reserve of food.

a resource not normally called upon but available if needed.

a tract of public land set apart for a special purpose: a forest reserve.

an act of reserving; reservation, exception, or qualification: I will do what you ask, but with one reserve.

Military.

a fraction of a military force held in readiness to sustain the attack or defense made by the rest of the force.
the part of a country's fighting force not in active service.
reserves,the enrolled but not regular components of the U.S. Army.

formality and self-restraint in manner and relationship; avoidance of familiarity or intimacy with others: to conduct oneself with reserve.

reticence or silence.

adjective

kept in reserve; forming a reserve: a reserve fund; a reserve supply.

of or relating to the animal awarded second place in livestock shows: the reserve champion steer.

Idioms

in reserve, put aside or withheld for a future need; reserved: money in reserve.

without reserve,

without restraint; frankly; freely.
(of articles at auction) without limitation as to the terms of sale, especially with no stipulated minimum price.

Origin of reserve

1325–75; Middle English reserven (v.) < Middle French reserver < Latin reservāre to keep back, retain, equivalent to re- re- + servāre to save

Related formsre·serv·a·ble, adjectivere·serve·less, adjectivenon·re·serv·a·ble, adjectivenon·re·serve, noun, adjective

Can be confusedre-serve reserve

Synonyms for reserve

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reserve ON THESAURUS.COM

1. husband, hold, store. See keep. 8. supply. 14. taciturnity, constraint, coldness.

Antonyms for reserve

1. squander. 13, 14. warmth.

re-serve

[ree-surv]

verb (used with or without object), re-served, re-serv·ing.

to serve again.

Origin of re-serve

First recorded in 1865–70; re- + serve

Can be confusedre-serve reserve

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for reserve

plant, wealth, reservoir, fund, stockpile, inventory, capital, stock, preserve, hoard, defer, withhold, maintain, retain, save, secure, resources, assets, provisions, cache

Examples from the Web for reserve

Contemporary Examples of reserve

We reserve the right to any legal action to prevent new pranks of the kind.
When Countries Lose Their Shit Over American Movies
Asawin Suebsaeng
December 17, 2014
The actor and police enthusiast reportedly wants to be a reserve officer.
LAPD Foundation: Mark Wahlberg Would Make a Good Reserve Cop
Asawin Suebsaeng
December 9, 2014
We can make that reserve bigger by living a more active lifestyle and exercising, pushing our bodies to do more.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Risky Heart Surgery
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD
November 26, 2014
That reserve gets smaller with sedentary lifestyles, and with age.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Risky Heart Surgery
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD
November 26, 2014
The president is right in his criticisms, but wrong to reserve them only for the Republican Party.
The Pipeline From Hell: There’s No Good Reason to Build Keystone XL
Jack Holmes
November 15, 2014

Historical Examples of reserve

How restful this quiet and reserve after the colour and line tumult of the Higbee apartment.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
I threw off all reserve--about half a pound, I should judge.
Punchinello, Vol. 1. No. 20, August 13, 1870
Various
"Don't talk like that," said Andy with a certain amount of reserve which was not natural to him.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Washington's horse and Kirkwood's infantry formed the reserve.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion
William Dobein James
There seemed to be no reserve with this surprising young person.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart

British Dictionary definitions for reserve

reserve

verb (tr)

to keep back or set aside, esp for future use or contingency; withhold

to keep for oneself; retainI reserve the right to question these men later

to obtain or secure by advance arrangementI have reserved two tickets for tonight's show

to delay delivery of (a judgment), esp in order to allow time for full consideration of the issues involved

noun

something kept back or set aside, esp for future use or contingency
(as modifier)a reserve stock

the state or condition of being reservedI have plenty in reserve

a tract of land set aside for the protection and conservation of wild animals, flowers, etca nature reserve

Also called: reservation Canadian an area of land set aside, esp (in the US and Canada) for American or Canadian Indian peoples

Australian and NZ an area of publicly owned land set aside for sport, recreation, etc

the act of reserving; reservation

a member of a team who only plays if a playing member drops out; a substitute

(often plural)

a part of an army or formation not committed to immediate action in a military engagement
that part of a nation's armed services not in active service

coolness or formality of manner; restraint, silence, or reticence

finance

a portion of capital not invested (a capital reserve) or a portion of profits not distributed (a revenue or general reserve) by a bank or business enterprise and held to meet legal requirements, future liabilities, or contingencies
(often plural)liquid assets held by an organization, government, etc, to meet expenses and liabilities

without reserve without reservations; fully; wholeheartedly

Derived Formsreservable, adjectivereserver, noun

Word Origin for reserve

C14: from Old French reserver, from Latin reservāre to save up, from re- + servāre to keep

re-serve

verb

(tr) to serve again

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for reserve

mid-14c., from Old French reserver "set aside, withhold" (12c.) and directly from Latin reservare "keep back, save up; retain, preserve," from re- "back" (see re-) + servare "to keep, save, preserve, protect" (see observe). Meaning "to book" is from 1935. Related: Reserved; reserving.

"something stored up," 1610s, from reserve (v.) or from French réserve, a Middle French back-formation from reserver. Meaning "self-imposed restraint on freedom of words or actions; habit of keeping back the feelings" is from 1650s.

reserve in Medicine

reserve

[rĭ-zûrv′]

v.

To keep back, as for future use or for a special purpose.

To set or cause to be set apart for a particular person or use.

n.

Something kept back or saved for future use or a special purpose.

adj.

Held back, set aside, or saved.

Forming a reserve.