1Refrain from using or disposing of (something); retain for future use.

1. 1.1 Arrange for (a room, seat, ticket, etc.) to be kept for the use of a particular person and not given to anyone else.
   a place was reserved for her in the front row

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The closing date for season ticket holders to reserve their seats and get discounted tickets for the friendly match is tomorrow.
   • All seats with tables were reserved - although they seemed empty most of the night.
   • You can also use the site to reserve hotel rooms or rent cars.
   • Other services to be offered may include reserving cinema tickets and paying mobile phone bills.
   • A woman passenger reserved her ticket in advance and picked it up yesterday morning, but the airline didn't tell her about the cancellation.
   • Anyone who wishes to go as a pilgrim must hand in his or her name before the end of January in order to reserve a seat on the pilgrimage.
   • The train is fast and quiet and there are plenty of nice little touches, like digital signs indicating if the seat is reserved or not.
   • I reserved a room there for Tanya, whom I had just met.
   • Your table is always reserved in the dining room.
   • She also invited people to contact her office to reserve seats.
   • She always managed to reserve two seats for us at the bar.
   • Seats are not reserved so the advice is to come early.
   • He found himself separated from his spouse by two seats, despite having reserved the seats much in advance.
   • Its usually a good idea to ring ahead and reserve a ticket, as seating space is often limited.
   • If you are interested in reserving a space or would like to receive further information, please complete the form below.
   • The only advice from Peter and Rebekka is to book now to reserve a seat.
   • Vaughan finishes his coffee and follows me down the platform into the first-class carriage, where I've reserved two seats.
   • How do you reserve a hotel room at a place that is miles away?
   • However, season ticket-holders, who wish to reserve their normal seat will have to buy that ticket before the match.
   • The number of people reserving hotel rooms is higher than that in the same period last year.

   Synonyms

   book, make a reservation for, order, arrange in advance, arrange for, prearrange for, secure
2. 1.2 Retain or hold (an entitlement to something), especially by formal or legal stipulation.
   with object and infinitive the editor reserves the right to edit letters

   Example sentencesExamples

   • And she reserved the rights to make the documentary.
   • This is my web site, running on a server I own, using bandwidth I pay for, located in a nation which reserves the right of free speech for its citizens.
   • The content owner reserves some rights of control but eschews the common commercial approach of all rights reserved.
   • Therefore, the board reserves the rights to issue fines and/or take any other actions available.
   • Others do reserve the right on occasions to drink alcohol.
   • Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved.
   • By that, do you mean they're reserving the right or looking at taking legal action?
   • To that end, we reserve the absolute right to edit or remove posts at our discretion.
   • Most European constitutions place a premium on social harmony, reserving the right of the state to more directly affect the lives of its citizens for the provision of specific public goods.
   • All rights are reserved - this article may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the authors.
   • The raffle operator reserves his rights to use frequent flyer miles to pay for the round trip plane tickets.
   • These interests may be created expressly by granting another person a right over one's land, or by reserving a right over land which one is transferring to another person.
   • For this reason he reserved the right of the state to intervene so that the economically powerless could not be exploited by the economically powerful.
   • Admittedly, I have always been shy of allowing others to read my work, reserving that right to a select few.
   • In such a situation, we have always reserved the right of the majority to defend itself.

   Synonyms

   retain, keep, hold, secure
3. 1.3 Refrain from delivering (a judgment or decision) immediately or without due consideration or evidence.
   I'll reserve my views on his ability until he's played again

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The hearing has now ended but the judges have reserved their decision which is expected in the next few weeks.
   • The appeal is expected to finish today, but the judges will reserve their decision, with judgement expected to be announced within three months.
   • He reserved his decision on withdrawing the warrants until close of business next Wednesday.
   • The Judge reserved his final decision and has informed the newspaper that decision will be disclosed today.
   • He reserved his decision and delivered oral reasons for judgment on June 13.

   Synonyms

   defer, postpone, put off, delay, withhold
4. 1.4reserve something for Use or engage in something only in or at (a particular circumstance or time)
   Japanese food has been presented as expensive and reserved for special occasions

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Decades ago, restaurant dining was, indeed, reserved for special occasions.
   • Sheep and goats provide common meals, while beef is reserved for special occasions.
   • In Italy, celebrating with a meal isn't reserved for special occasions - it's a way of life.
   • From then on, spectacular church music was reserved for special occasions.
   • It is unsurprising to find this outcome being challenged by developing states which argued that part of the spectrum should be reserved for future use.
   • I reserve those future modification strategies for my birthday.
   • Given this high hurdle, Congress's exercise of power in this realm would be reserved for unusually egregious circumstances.
   • Eating out now plays a major part in British life and is no longer reserved for special occasions.
   • Most of the batsmen in the list seem to have reserved their tons for the big occasion.
   • A subdued atmosphere in the venue, which is designed for baseball, was mirrored by the players, who reserved their rabble-rousing for the right moments.
   • In its judgment yesterday, the appeal court said a maximum sentence was reserved for the most heinous circumstances and served as a deterrent.
   • In some ancient communities, singing was a magical power to be reserved only for special occasions.
   • Of course it was a matter of some contention with Mother that I was using all of her hairspray to kill insects, so I reserved that weapon for dire circumstances.
   • Some surgeons tend to select one type of implant for most situations and reserve other implants for special circumstances.
   • Antibiotics are generally reserved for use in episodes of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
5. 1.5 (in church use) retain (a portion of the consecrated elements) after mass for communion of the sick or as a focus for devotion.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Is not the cost of keeping our churches open, offering the liturgy, and reserving the Eucharist a price the Church can afford, no matter the monetary price?
   • If we reserve consecrated bread and wine and kneel before it, why should we not preserve the world with the same reverence?
   • Jesus is present in a very real and powerful way in every church that reserves the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle.

1often reservesA supply of a commodity not needed for immediate use but available if required.

1. 1.1 Funds kept available by a bank, company, or government.
   the foreign exchange reserves

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The gold would then constitute those banks' reserves for their demand deposits.
   • A balance of payments deficit or surplus was defined by the sign of the rate of change of a central bank's foreign exchange reserves.
   • Management of bank reserves was basically control over system liquidity and the broader financial environment.
   • Central banks hold reserves to defend their currencies from speculative attacks and to help finance international borrowing and trade.
   • Not all central banks, however, require commercial banks to deposit reserves.
2. 1.2 A part of a company's profits added to capital rather than paid as a dividend.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • The net assets are then 18 million and those net assets are reflected by the share capital, the reserves.
   • As such, this inclusion of the cash reserves can actually overstate capital and reduce ROCE.
   • This would see earnings per share fall to a level where the company would have to dip into reserves to pay the dividend at its current level.
   • Third, the £1.6 billion being raised was more than the entire share capital and reserves of the company.
   • In some cases though, the costs charged against profit reserves will impact upon the company's ability to pay dividends.

2A force or body of troops kept back from action to reinforce or protect others, or additional to the regular forces and available in an emergency.

1. 2.1 A member of the military reserve.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Under the U.S. legislation, service with the armed forces is in two periods: the regular forces and the reserve forces.
   • It comprises 500 members of the regular and reserve forces who would support the emergency services and local authorities in a major emergency.
   • If you're a member of the reserves or National Guard, you may be eligible for a new tax deduction this year.
   • Attendance allowance is paid to assist a member of the reserves with travel expenses when required to attend a specified place within Australia to render reserve service.
   • There are, in addition, reserves, regular and volunteer, for the other services.

   Synonyms

   backup

3An extra player who is a possible substitute in a team.

1. 3.1the reserves The second-string team.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • You have to knuckle down and get on with it, as there were times when I would be the most senior professional playing in the reserves after travelling with the first team and not being involved.
   • Only a fool would put a player of his quality in the reserves for two seasons and his manager is no fool.
   • Whilst I have been patient during the last two years it has become very repetitive playing in the reserves and I needed to play to prove to myself that I was capable of performing at that level.
   • They regularly buy first team choice players and put them in the reserves or on the bench.
   • We can watch him hopefully progress through the reserves and into the first team and feel part of his success.

4A place set aside for special use.

1. 4.1 A reservation for an indigenous people.
   a reserve was allocated to the tribe on Bear Island

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It will be touring the province's reserves, settlements and native communities.
   • Social and economic problems on reserves and among urban natives exacerbate the situation.
   • During this decade Kurt and his family lived on a reserve and immersed themselves in Native culture.
   • The plight of native reserves has long been known in various departments at the federal and provincial levels of government.
   • However, they were greeted by a two-kilometre roadblock of residents from Quebec, New Brunswick and the nearby native reserves.
   • Native Lands attempts to protect indigenous land holdings and reserves.
   • While Ojibwa reserves are also found in Ontario and Saskatchewan, this account stresses their history in the United States.
   • This is why many Natives leave reserves for the city.
   • Pursuing missionary work among the Aborigines, he established a native reserve at Poonindie, near Port Lincoln in SA.
   • They say there's no evidence that native reserves were revoked to achieve such a purpose, and no evidence of suppressing or curtailing Aboriginal customs and rites.
   • But it should not be beyond the wit of the Government and its advisers to create an Aboriginal title to land on Aboriginal reserves in the Northern Territory.
   • An Orkney woman has been made an honorary Cree Indian, after visiting distant relatives on a reserve in Canada recently.
   • Although the United States had granted the Indians title to the hunting reserve, the government had never intended them to live there year-round.
   • The department established two agency farms near the proposed reserves and in 1880 appointed an Indian agent at Fort Walsh.
   • We would say that, on the creation of the reserve, any native title right to occupy such an area of land simply could not be enforced.
   • The cigarettes were then allegedly sold to smugglers and brought illegally into Canada through native reserves and border checkpoints.
   • To attain individual private property, Kanaks must buy land or real estate outside the reserves.
2. 4.2 A protected area for wildlife.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • But here in the soothing silence of the reserve all was indeed beautiful.
   • She has also worked to create more federal marine reserves.
   • So it's quite a big deal as, Hokkaido has in effect been a reserve for native fish and this is now threatened.
   • An old stone cottage forms an important landmark on this vast peatland nature reserve.
   • Concurrently, the federal government set aside land and forests in national parks and forest reserves.
   • The importance of the reserve for wildlife is acknowledged in its official designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
   • Marine reserves are our national parks of the sea.
   • Eighty percent of the country was effectively off-limits, including national parks and game reserves.
   • A research vessel ran aground in a Hawaiian marine wildlife reserve on Sunday and appears to be leaking oil.
   • Kenya has over 50 national parks and game reserves where wildlife is protected.
   • He looks after the land as a private reserve for wildlife habitat, running marsupials and their predators instead of cows.
   • Planting trees to expand reserves and create corridors between protected tiger reserves is one tangible way to help the big cats survive and multiply.
   • This reserve of native plants is one of the finest in the country and includes many walks throughout its five hectares.
   • Tracts set aside for game reserves could not be used for farming.
   • We set aside reserves for wild nature, but sometimes we forget how much we need wild places and wild animals.
   • Less than four percent of the forested land is currently set aside in forest reserves and left undisturbed by forest management today.
   • Caravan sites, military estates, bird and wildlife reserves were all closed yesterday due to fears of contamination.
   • Tanzania is almost four times the size of the UK, and 25 per cent of its land mass is protected in national parks, game reserves or conservation areas.
   • The study found that groups of animals with similarly small range sizes had the highest proportion of species living outside wildlife reserves and national parks.
   • Awash National park is one of the finest and most accessible reserves in the country.

   Synonyms

   national park, animal sanctuary, preserve, reservation, conservation area

5A lack of warmth or openness in manner or expression.

1. 5.1 Qualification or doubt attached to some statement or claim.
   she trusted him without reserve

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Were anyone to make such claims nowadays, they would be treated with considerable reserve, not to say great scepticism.
   • He had long ago told me that he wanted me to be honest and without reserve when talking to him, and I usually found it difficult.
   • I think I'd like the whole album, without reserve, if those dance beats weren't thrown in.
   • Above all we expect to be able to judge it without reserve.
   • Two game systems from my first article in this series qualify as board game systems without reserve: Orion and the piecepack.
   • The new leadership accepted his recommendations without reserve.
   • Although he fitted the stereotype, his readiness to talk without reserve was untypical.
   • But oath-taking, though important, was expressly presented in the body of the work as adding nothing to the force of contracts, so this argument must be treated with some reserve.
   • ‘It is certainly possible to apply economics to traditional societies,’ he proclaims without reserve.
   • The country has been grievously wronged and it must be supported wholeheartedly and without reserve.
   • The presidential elections, however, showed that public opinion polls and sociologists are not to be trusted without reserve.
   • The boy was sobbing now as he spoke in disjointed thoughts, tears streaming to his cheeks without reserve, having to catch his breath between sentences.
   • We should, nonetheless, be sceptical when she says that she thought everyone should devote him or herself without reserve.
   • And we may be nervous but we are also ready, so I'm looking forward to it unashamedly, without reserve.
   • Whatever they ask for they should be given without question, without reserve.

   Synonyms

   reservation, qualification, condition, limitation, proviso

6

7(in the decoration of ceramics or textiles) an area that still has the original color of the material or the color of the background.