preserve

1. 1.

   keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last

   “preserve the peace in the family”

   “continue the family tradition”

   “Carry on the old traditions”

   Synonymscontinueupholdcarry onbear on

   Broaderkeep

   Narrowerresumepersevereperpetuateprolongmummify
2. 2.

   keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction

   “We preserve these archeological findings”

   “The old lady could not keep up the building”

   “children must be taught to conserve our national heritage”

   “The museum curator conserved the ancient manuscripts”

   Synonymsconservemaintainkeep up

   Broaderkeep

   Narrowerembalmplastinatehold the line
3. 3.

   to keep up and reserve for personal or special use

   “She saved the old family photographs in a drawer”

   Synonymssave

   Broaderkeep

   Narrowerrecordconserve
4. 4.

   prevent (food) from rotting

   “preserved meats”

   “keep potatoes fresh”

   Synonymskeep

   Broadercook

   Narrowerfreeze-dryconservedehydratepicklesaltcanrefrigeratecurecorn
5. 5.

   maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger

   “May God keep you”

   Synonymskeep

   Broaderprotect
6. 6.

   keep undisturbed for personal or private use for hunting, shooting, or fishing

   “preserve the forest and the lakes”

   Broaderkeep

1. 1.

   a domain that seems to be specially reserved for someone

   “medicine is no longer a male preserve”

   Broadersphere
2. 2.

   a reservation where animals are protected

   Broaderreservation

   Narrowershooting preserve
3. 3.

   fruit preserved by cooking with sugar

   Synonymsconserveconservespreserves

   Broaderconfiture

   Narrowerapple butterchowchowjamlemon curdjellymarmalade

Other forms of preserve

plural

preserves·

past tense

preserved·

present participle

preserving·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about preserve

What does preserve mean?

preserve means "keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last". That is the primary sense; the word has 9 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in preserve?

preserve has 2 syllables: pre-serve. The stress falls on "serve". In IPA it is /pɹəˈzɝv/.

What is another word for preserve?

Close synonyms include continue, uphold, carry on, bear on, conserve. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is preserve a common word?

preserve is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

What rhymes with preserve?

3 words rhyme with preserve. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.