preserve
Americanverb (used with object)
-
preserves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preserved,
past participle, past
-
preserving
present participle
-
to keep alive or in existence; make lasting.
to preserve our liberties as free citizens.
- Synonyms:
- conserve
- Antonyms:
- destroy
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to keep safe from harm or injury; protect or spare.
-
to keep up; maintain.
to preserve historical monuments.
-
to keep possession of; retain.
to preserve one's composure.
-
to prepare (food or any perishable substance) so as to resist decomposition or fermentation.
-
to prepare (fruit, vegetables, etc.) by cooking with sugar, pickling, canning, or the like.
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to maintain and reserve (game, fish, etc.) for continued survival or for private use, as in hunting or fishing.
verb (used without object)
-
preserves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preserved,
past participle, past
-
preserving
present participle
-
to preserve fruit, vegetables, etc.; make preserves.
-
to maintain a preserve for game or fish, especially for sport.
noun
-
preserves
plural
-
something that preserves.
-
that which is preserved.
-
Usually preserves. fruit, vegetables, etc., prepared by cooking with sugar.
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a place set apart for protection and propagation of game or fish, especially for sport.
verb
-
to keep safe from danger or harm; protect
-
to protect from decay or dissolution; maintain
to preserve old buildings
-
to maintain possession of; keep up
to preserve a façade of indifference
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to prevent from decomposition or chemical change
-
to prepare (food), as by freezing, drying, or salting, so that it will resist decomposition
-
to make preserves of (fruit, etc)
-
to rear and protect (game) in restricted places for hunting or fishing
-
(intr) to maintain protection and favourable conditions for game in preserves
noun
-
something that preserves or is preserved
-
a special area or domain
archaeology is the preserve of specialists
-
(usually plural) fruit, etc, prepared by cooking with sugar
-
areas where game is reared for private hunting or fishing
Synonym Usage
See defend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preservabilitynoun
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preservationnoun
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preservernoun
-
nonpreservableadjective
-
preservableadjective
-
unpreservableadjective
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preservablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
preservesimple
-
preservessimple
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have preservedperfect
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has preservedperfect
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am preservingprogressive
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are preservingprogressive
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is preservingprogressive
-
have been preservingperfect progressive
-
has been preservingperfect progressive
Past
-
preservedsimple
-
had preservedperfect
-
was preservingprogressive
-
were preservingprogressive
-
had been preservingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of preserve
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English preserven, from Medieval Latin praeservāre “to guard” ( Late Latin: “to observe”), equivalent to Latin prae- prefix meaning “before, prior to, in advance” ( see pre-) + servāre “to watch over, keep, preserve, observe”
Explanation
When you preserve something, you maintain its condition, like trying to preserve your good health by exercising regularly and eating right. The verb preserve describes keeping something as it is now, without a decline in quality. It can also refer to keeping something safe from harm, as in “The group worked hard to preserve the regional ecosystem.” When you preserve food, such as fruit, you keep it from rotting. Jellies and jams are preserves, the noun form. A preserve can also be lands set aside, or preserved, as animal habitats.
Vocabulary lists containing preserve
The Bill of Rights
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"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The company is “taking advantage of its AAA credit rating to secure long-term capital, preserve liquidity and accelerate investments in data centers, cloud capacity and AI infrastructure,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
"To complement cash generated by the business and preserve financial flexibility, we will access additional sources of funding when we believe it is attractive to do so," Hood said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Our registrations subject us to robust oversight by professionals who understand how to preserve market integrity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
By identifying the mechanisms behind this natural resistance, scientists hope to uncover new ways to preserve memory and cognitive abilities as people age.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
Targets that I loved, or at least wished to preserve, or in the case of Rasseem didn’t really care for, but still.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
The landscape preserves a remarkable glimpse into the distant past.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Your prenup preserves your financial independence, but it doesn’t deal with your emotional codependence — that takes work on both your parts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Danish officials have described the deal differently, stressing it preserves Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
It preserves the merger rather than blocking consolidation, while relying on monitoring, production requirements and penalties to limit its consequences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Along with the classes for hogs and cattle and home preserves, a category for moths.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
Sotheby's described "Jodi" as an "excellent exhibition-ready" skeleton with about 191 fossil-bone elements and a "beautifully preserved, virtually complete skull".
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The findings demonstrate how observations preserved for thousands of years can continue to contribute to modern scientific discoveries.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
To investigate the discovery, the scientists collected samples and preserved reference specimens in the Kunming Institute of Botany's collections.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
Because these tiny particles could circulate and mix efficiently throughout the disk, they preserved a chemical composition that closely resembles the overall elemental mixture found in the Sun.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
And there, in the center of the stone table, lay the perfectly preserved body of a woman with skin as white as snow.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
How should we think about the trade-offs between spending more now, preserving financial flexibility for the future and leaving a charitable legacy?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
The 42-year-old from Swansea said she was brought up to have "a rotating pantry" to give herself a safeguard for emergencies, including growing her own food and preserving it.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Mount Sharp contains numerous layers of sedimentary rock, each preserving evidence from a different chapter of Martian history.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
The U.K. energy regulator said it has taken steps to preserve underused underwater gas pipelines connecting the country’s energy grid to continental Europe, preserving the ability to import European gas in case of emergencies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Also, salt often can act like a time capsule, preserving signs of life from long ago.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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