reserve

[ ri-zurv ]

verb (used with object)

, re·served, re·serv·ing.

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.

noun

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.

reserve

/ 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

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 calledreservation 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 reserve
    without reservations; fully; wholeheartedly

Derived Forms

• reˈservable, adjective
• reˈserver, noun

Other Words From

• re·serva·ble adjective
• re·serveless adjective
• nonre·serva·ble adjective
• nonre·serve noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reserve¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of reserve¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

   money in reserve.

2. 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.

Synonym Study

See keep.

Example Sentences

Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq, has long been critical of foreign policy establishment.

From Salon

Gabbard, who served in the Hawaii National Guard and then joined an Army reserve unit that was deployed to Iraq, has said that her skepticism of intervention was rooted in her experience from serving in a war that she saw as unnecessary and costly.

From Salon

All this deep slicing-and-dicing was a core feature of Ramaswamy’s campaign for the GOP presidential nomination, in which he promised to abolish the Department of Education and the FBI, gut the Food and Drug Administration, and narrow the Federal Reserve’s mandate.

From Slate

Market analysts say the stock market's momentum following the 2024 election could continue, driven by steady economic growth, strong corporate earnings and expectations for further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

From Salon

In a move to boost the economy as inflation cools, the Federal Reserve on Nov. 7 cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points as expected, following a September rate cut.

From Salon

Related Words

• capital
• fund
• inventory
• plant
• reservoir
• stock
• stockpile
• wealth