Meaning & use
preserve
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To keep something in its present condition, protecting it from damage, decay or loss.
Grammar: Takes an object: preserve the building.
Patterns
- preserve something
- preserve something for someone
Volunteers worked to preserve the old theater.
Museums preserve fragile documents in sealed cases.
She wanted to preserve her grandmother's recipes for future generations.
verbtransitive
To treat food, for example by drying, salting, pickling or making it into jam, so that it lasts a long time.
Grammar: Takes an object, often food: preserve fruit.
Patterns
- preserve something in something
They preserve cucumbers in vinegar.
Grandpa preserved the plums with sugar each summer.
Salt was once the main way people preserved fish.
nouncountableAmerican
An area of land set aside to protect wildlife or nature from hunting, building or other harm.
Grammar: American usage; British speakers often say reserve.
Patterns
- a nature preserve
- a preserve for something
The family donated land for a wildlife preserve.
We hiked through a quiet preserve near the river.
The state created a preserve to protect the wetlands.
nounusually plural
A fruit-based spread, similar to jam, in which the fruit is kept in large pieces.
Grammar: Often appears as preserves: strawberry preserves.
Patterns
- strawberry preserves
She spread apricot preserves on her toast.
We bought a jar of fig preserves at the market.
Homemade preserves line the shelves of the pantry.
nounsingularformal
A field of activity that is seen as belonging to a particular person or group.
Grammar: Usually appears with the or a possessive: the preserve of the rich.
Patterns
- the preserve of someone
Golf was once the preserve of wealthy men.
Politics should not be the preserve of a small elite.
The kitchen was her father's private preserve.
Word forms
| third person singular | preserves |
|---|---|
| past tense | preserved |
| past participle | preserved |
| -ing form | preserving |
Common combinations
- preserve a tradition
- The festival helps preserve a local tradition.
- preserve the environment
- We need laws that preserve the environment.
- well preserved
- The fossil was remarkably well preserved.
- preserve evidence
- Officers must preserve evidence at the scene.
- nature preserve
- The school visited a nature preserve.
- the preserve of
- Law was long the preserve of men.
Synonyms and how they differ
- conserve
- Conserve stresses using something carefully so it lasts, such as energy or resources, while preserve means keeping it unchanged.
- protect
- Protect focuses on guarding something from harm, while preserve also suggests it will stay just as it is.
- maintain
- Maintain means to keep something running or in good order, which can include repairs, whereas preserve suggests no change.
- retain
- Retain means to continue to have something, while preserve means actively guarding its condition.
Opposites
Word family
- preservation noun
- the act of keeping something safe or unchanged
- preservative noun
- a substance added to stop food from spoiling
- preserver noun
- a person or thing that keeps something safe, as in life preserver
- preservationist noun
- someone who works to protect historic or natural places
- preserved adjective
- kept from decay or damage
Commonly confused: preserve or reserve? preserve or conserve?
preserve vs reserve
Reserve means to set something aside or book it, while preserve means to keep something safe from decay or change.
preserve vs conserve
Conserve means to use sparingly or protect resources; preserve means to keep something in its present state.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'preserve' to mean 'keep from decaying'?
Choose one answer.
Preserve an old manuscript means keep it from decay. Preserve a table would need reserve, so it is the tempting wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “preserve”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.