What does reserve mean?
Reserve describes both a resource kept for future use and the act of setting something aside. As a noun, it may refer to money or supplies held for emergencies, foreign-exchange and other financial assets, land protected for wildlife or another purpose, troops kept out of immediate action, or a quality of restraint. As a verb, it means to keep something for someone or for a later occasion: a reader may reserve a copy, while a theatre may reserve seats. It can also mean to make an advance booking or to limit use to a particular group. The word often conveys prudent preparation and controlled availability. Whether referring to money, land, personnel, language, or a table in a restaurant, the central idea is that something is deliberately kept back rather than used immediately. Reserve is therefore useful in both practical and figurative contexts, though a reservation is specifically an advance booking rather than the retained resource itself.
Something kept for future use, especially money, supplies, land, assets, or personnel. It may also refer to restraint or limited willingness to act.
"The charity maintains a reserve of food for emergencies."
In finance, reserve can denote an amount held back from immediate use or available to meet liabilities. As a geographical term, it commonly denotes an area set aside for wildlife or conservation.
To keep something for a particular person, purpose, or future occasion; to make an advance booking; or to set something aside for later use.
"The manager reserved two tickets for her colleagues."
The booking sense is especially common in British and American English. In computing and related fields, reserve may mean to allocate resources in advance for a specific purpose.
The plural is used for collections of retained resources, financial assets, troops, or lands set aside for particular purposes.
"The country's foreign exchange reserves increased during the quarter."
Reserve shares an ancient root with preserve and conserve: all come from Latin reservare, meaning “to keep back.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reserve come from?
The word entered English in the Middle English period through Old French reserv, from Latin reservāre, meaning “to keep back” or “save.” Latin reservāre combined re-, meaning “back” or “again,” with servāre, meaning “to keep.” The same Latin root produced cognates including preserve, conserve, and reservation, and it also underlies the development of reservoir through French.
Related word forms
How reserve is actually used
The noun and verb meanings are closely related: a reserve is what is kept, while to reserve is to keep something for later use or for someone. In American English, reserve is also the standard noun for a designated area of land, while in British English reservation may be used more often in the booking sense. The phrase “without reserve” has the formal sense of acting without restraint or holding something back.
Easily confused with reserve
A reserve is a resource or amount kept for future use, whereas a reservation is an arrangement made in advance to obtain a place, service, or right.