reserve

American  

[ri-zurv] / rɪˈzɜrv /

verb (used with object)

• reserves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reserved,
  past participle,  past
• reserving
  present participle

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

   Synonyms:

   store, hold, husband

   Antonyms:

   squander

2. to retain or secure by express stipulation.

3. to set apart for a particular use, purpose, service, etc..

   ground reserved for gardening.

4. to keep for oneself.

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

6. 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.

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noun

• reserves
  plural

1. Finance.

   1. 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.

   2. uninvested cash held to comply with legal requirements.

2. something kept or stored for use or need; stock.

   a reserve of food.

   Synonyms:

   supply

3. a resource not normally called upon but available if needed.

4. a tract of public land set apart for a special purpose.

   a forest reserve.

5. an act of reserving; reservation, exception, or qualification.

   I will do what you ask, but with one reserve.

6. Military.

   1. a fraction of a military force held in readiness to sustain the attack or defense made by the rest of the force.

   2. the part of a country's fighting force not in active service.

   3. reserves, the enrolled but not regular components of the U.S. Army.

7. formality and self-restraint in manner and relationship; avoidance of familiarity or intimacy with others.

   to conduct oneself with reserve.

   Antonyms:

   warmth

8. reticence or silence.

   Synonyms:

   coldness, constraint, taciturnity

   Antonyms:

   warmth

adjective

1. kept in reserve; forming a reserve.

   a reserve fund; a reserve supply.

2. of or relating to the animal awarded second place in livestock shows.

   the reserve champion steer.

idioms

1. without reserve,

   1. without restraint; frankly; freely.

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

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

   money in reserve.

reserve British  

/ rɪˈzɜːv /

verb

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

2. to keep for oneself; retain

   I reserve the right to question these men later

3. to obtain or secure by advance arrangement

   I have reserved two tickets for tonight's show

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

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noun

1. 1. something kept back or set aside, esp for future use or contingency

   2. ( as modifier )

      a reserve stock

2. the state or condition of being reserved

   I have plenty in reserve

3. a tract of land set aside for the protection and conservation of wild animals, flowers, etc

   a nature reserve

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

5. an area of publicly owned land set aside for sport, recreation, etc

6. the act of reserving; reservation

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

8. (often plural)

   1. a part of an army or formation not committed to immediate action in a military engagement

   2. that part of a nation's armed services not in active service

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

10. finance

    1. 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

    2. (often plural) liquid assets held by an organization, government, etc, to meet expenses and liabilities

11. without reservations; fully; wholeheartedly

Synonym Usage

See keep.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreserve
  noun
• reserver
  noun
• nonreservable
  adjective
• reservable
  adjective
• reserveless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reserves
  plural

Participles

• reserving
  present
• reserved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reserve
  simple
• reserves
  simple
• have reserved
  perfect
• has reserved
  perfect
• am reserving
  progressive
• are reserving
  progressive
• is reserving
  progressive
• have been reserving
  perfect progressive
• has been reserving
  perfect progressive

Past

• reserved
  simple
• had reserved
  perfect
• was reserving
  progressive
• were reserving
  progressive
• had been reserving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reserve
  simple
• will have reserved
  perfect
• will be reserving
  progressive
• will have been reserving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of reserve

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English reserven (verb) from Middle French reserver, from Latin reservāre “to keep back, retain,” equivalent to re- re- + servāre “to save”

Explanation

As a noun, reserve refers to the quality of a shy or modest person who doesn’t easily express his or her feelings. As a verb, to reserve is to stash something away or to set it aside for future use. Reserve can also refer to backup supplies or resources. If a military is running out of ammunition or food, they may have to dig into the reserve to replenish their supplies. Reserve is also used as a verb to mean "obtain in advance." If you’re expecting a big crowd at your sister's dance recital, you might show up early to reserve seats for your family members. You could also reserve a table at a restaurant for dinner after the show.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reserve reserves reserved reserving

On Monday, Garrett was scheduled to have surgery, and he will sit out at least the next four games on injured reserve.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Now, Garrett will undergo knee surgery and could be placed on injured reserve, a team official said Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Staying vigilant - do you really need to leave your bag or laptop to reserve a café table or a spot in the library?

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Releases from the SPR totaled 1.2 million barrels, leaving the reserve with 285.4 million barrels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

He thought of the tiger cub growing stronger in her reserve, safe for now from poachers, playing with her brother and learning to hunt.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Commercial fuel stocks around the world have been depleting for more than six months, and strategic crude reserves can’t be tapped much further.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Still, England are only one injury away from some inexperienced reserves.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

The Fed benchmark, the Federal Funds Rate, sets the interest rate big banks use to lend or borrow their excess reserves to one another.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

The Netherlands has closer to 1,300 tons, or about 55% of its total reserves.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 6, 2026

Farther back still, beyond the range of all but the biggest enemy artillery, was a third system of trenches for the reserves.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

It is reserved for reigning Olympic, world and Diamond League champions, plus athletes who have qualified by world ranking.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

North Korean state media have also referred to her as "the beloved child" and a "great person of guidance" -- "hyangdo" in Korean -- a term typically reserved for top leaders and their successors.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Half of those tokens would be reserved for specific purposes; of those, 300 million will remain under the ownership of $LAPTOP’s founders for now.

From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026

The government has reserved recent solicitations for crude to recharge the strategic stocks to domestic producers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

“And check those out,” said Miguel as the vehicles gracefully glided into a reserved row of angled parking spaces.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Companies will increasingly migrate “midtier” AI tasks to cheaper models, while reserving frontier-model usage for more complex multistep agentic processes, Sen said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

For other passengers, reserving a seat is optional.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

While praising the VA for reserving the contract for businesses owned by disabled veterans, Sherin said the plan lacks the ingredient he views as most important.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

Instead, companies will find uses for cheaper models and steer most employees to low-cost workflows, reserving the high token use for software engineering teams.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

She’s already claimed a computer and her plaid backpack is draped across a second chair, reserving the seat for me.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• defer
• hoard
• maintain
• preserve
• retain
• save
• set aside
• stockpile
• withhold