to arrange for something such as a seat, ticket, or room to be kept for your use at a future time
I called the restaurant to reserve a table for two tonight.
You can reserve tickets online instead of queuing at the cinema.
an area of land kept for a special purpose, especially to protect wildlife or for military training
The national park created a new bird reserve along the coast.
Soldiers trained on a remote army reserve in the desert.
to keep something so it will be available for a particular person, use, or time
This shelf is reserved for cookbooks only.
The museum has reserved Friday mornings for school visits.
an amount of something kept so it can be used later when it is needed
The campers brought a reserve of water in case the river dried up.
Oil reserves are running low in that region.
a habit of being quiet and not showing your thoughts or feelings openly
Despite the excitement around her, Maria maintained her usual reserve.
His natural reserve sometimes makes people think he is unfriendly.
to treat food so that it lasts a long time without spoiling
Farmers often preserve strawberries by turning them into jam.
You can also preserve herbs in olive oil for winter cooking.
a sweet spread made by cooking fruit with sugar
Grandma spread apricot preserve on my toast.
The farm sells jars of blackberry preserve at the weekend market.
