preserve
verb
pre·serve
| \ pri-ˈzərv
\
\
preserved;
preserving
Definition of preserve
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction : protect
2a
: to keep alive, intact, or free from decay
b
: maintain
3a
: to keep or save from decomposition
b
: to can, pickle, or similarly prepare for future use
4
: to keep up and reserve for personal or special use
preserve
nounDefinition of preserve (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: fruit canned or made into jams or jellies or cooked whole or in large pieces in a syrup so as to keep its shape
—often used in plural
2
: an area restricted for the protection and preservation of natural resources (such as animals or plants)
a game preserve for regulated hunting or fishing nature preserves
3
: something regarded as reserved for certain persons
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Other Words from preserve
Verb
preservability
\ pri-ˌzər-və-ˈbi-lə-tē
\
noun
\
noun
preservable
\ pri-ˈzər-və-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
preservation
\ ˌpre-zər-ˈvā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
preserver
\ pri-ˈzər-vər
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of preserve in a Sentence
Verb
The fossil was well preserved. These laws are intended to help preserve our natural resources. They are fighting to preserve their rights as citizens. The peaches are preserved in syrup. Salt can be used to preserve meat.Noun
a jar of strawberry preserve Game preserves allow only carefully controlled hunting and fishing. The military was once an all-male preserve.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Richard was an avid gardener and spent many hours growing plants from seed and enjoying his flowers and fruits and vegetables that Madeline then preserved for family meals. — courant.com, "Richard Mangan," 1 Sep. 2019 Liverpool have made the perfect start to their Premier League campaign, thumping Arsenal 3-1 in their last outing and preserving their 100% record after three games. — SI.com, "Liverpool: The XI That Should Start Against Burnley," 30 Aug. 2019 Many of those workers were Irish immigrants, and this museum, encompassing five tiny and lovingly preserved alley houses, provides a hint of what life was like for them in the 1840s. — Chris Kaltenbach, baltimoresun.com, "8 ways to celebrate Labor Day weekend in Baltimore," 29 Aug. 2019 The children of the Jewish faith would carry on the teachings of the Torah, preserving the faith. — Jamie Swinnerton, Houston Chronicle, "Chabad of The Woodlands celebrates milestone with new Torah," 29 Aug. 2019 Soefer and Vandewater wanted to celebrate their house’s past, preserving as many features as possible, like the millwork, shiplap walls, and longleaf pine floors. — Alia Akkam, House Beautiful, "You Need to See How a Sad 1920s House Was Restored to a Colorful, Pattern-Filled Home," 29 Aug. 2019 Russia says preserving the cease-fire in Idlib depends on the elimination of thousands of militants. — Time, "Russia Is Trying to Sell Turkey Its Own Stealthy New Fighter After U.S. Revoked Access to F-35," 27 Aug. 2019 For his film adaptation of the book, the director Richard Linklater extracts and stages the events that the documents describe, only occasionally preserving traces of Semple’s devices. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "“Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” Reviewed: Richard Linklater’s Narrow View of a Creator in Crisis," 26 Aug. 2019 There might be other reasons to preserve certain stories, too. — Mary Kilpatrick, cleveland.com, "Radiolab podcast features cleveland.com’s Right to be Forgotten," 23 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The park, with more than 200 acres, is a peaceful preserve with expanses of pine forests, salt marshes and rocky coastline. — Pamela Wright, BostonGlobe.com, "8 state parks in New England to visit this fall," 3 Sep. 2019 The program offers a choice of 13 different hiking trails in parks and nature preserves in the county. — Mary Jane Brewer, cleveland.com, "Trekking Through Autumn offers incentives to Medina County Parks hikers," 1 Sep. 2019 If the setting of policy, the writing of laws and the administration of justice were the preserve of different people, absolute power could not end up in one set of hands. — The Economist, "How Viktor Orban hollowed out Hungary’s democracy," 29 Aug. 2019 This does somewhat undermine arguments about technology transfer and road-relevance, although that's not really the preserve of open-wheel racing in the first place. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "900hp hybrids are coming for the 2022 IndyCar season," 1 Aug. 2019 The press box used to be a male preserve—that was its charm. — David Remnick, The New Yorker, "In Praise of Doris Burke, Basketball’s Best TV Analyst," 13 June 2019 And ever more are enjoying the experience—once the preserve of a metropolitan elite—of calm streets, squares and parks. — The Economist, "Streets ahead," 1 Aug. 2019 And if going a bit rogue, by adding zest, juice, booze, spice or fruity preserves to your cream or pudding, let your taste buds guide you. — Jessie Sheehan, Washington Post, "How to make an icebox cake, the coolest (literally!) no-bake dessert," 1 Aug. 2019 Additionally, much of the island is under land preserve to encourage conservation instead of overdevelopment. — Samantha Weiss Hills, Curbed, "Embracing indoor-outdoor living in the South Carolina marshlands," 29 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preserve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for preserve
preserve
verb
English Language Learners Definition of preserve
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition
: to keep (something) safe from harm or loss
: to prevent (food) from decaying