1
as in booking
to arrange to have something (as a hotel room) held for one's future use
we made sure to reserve a kennel for our dog several months before the start of the family vacation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in retaining
to continue to have in one's possession or power
I'm reserving the right to work by myself if you don't do your share of the project
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dedicating
to keep or intend for a special purpose
we must reserve this cup for ceremonial use only
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reserving
Add most of the arugula reserving a few leaves for a garnish, the capers, and most of the fresh herb leaves reserving some for a garnish.
—
Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
Drain, reserving a quarter cup of pasta water.
—Laura McLively, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Transfer tenderloins to a cutting board, reserving sauce in skillet, and tent with aluminum foil; let rest for 10 minutes.
—Amanda Stanfield, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2026
While happy to have these conversations with families, O'Shea said reserving time for these additional visits for vaccine counseling becomes more difficult during flu season, when more kids need to be seen due to illnesses.
—Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2026
Pudu’s approach appears to emphasize efficiency in mixed environments, using wheels wherever possible and reserving legged motion for obstacles such as stairs or steps up to 25 centimeters high.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Jan. 2026
Exhibition couldn’t charge for tickets to The Netflix event given the cast’s contractual terms for residuals, hence the streamer and circuits got around this by reserving seats with concession vouchers.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2026
The proposal was designed to nudge employers toward offering higher salaries or reserving H-1B petitions for jobs that require advanced skills.
—Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 1 Jan. 2026
Marshall has seldom depicted white subjects, reserving for himself the right and obligation to paint people of African descent almost exclusively.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reserving
Verb
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Beckett, 20, was arrested in Iowa and charged with a first offense of operating while intoxicated (OWI), according to booking records from the Ida County Sheriff's Office (ICSO).—
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A day after booking Soto and Baz, investigators arrested Gutierrez, who allegedly led the distribution of the cocaine to dealers and users, at his Oxnard home.—
Verb
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Beyond raw power, the technology proved its resilience, retaining over 95 per cent of its performance after 1,100 hours of continuous use.—
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With his departure, retaining Baugh became necessary for what Sumrall is trying to establish.—
Verb
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And after dedicating much of the past 20 years to speedskating — after moving to Salt Lake City to train six years ago and after deciding that these Milan Cortina Winter Olympics would be his last, gold or bust — Lehman wanted to earn it.—
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That infrastructure, including painting the far right lane red and dedicating it for buses only, will come, but it will be phased in over time.—
Verb
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The Falcons began their search after hiring former longtime quarterback Matt Ryan as president of football.—
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In these sectors, while unemployment hasn’t surged, hiring has essentially been frozen for the past year, especially for entry-level roles, as firms juggle worries over economic uncertainty and AI fears.—
Verb
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Saldaña has reason to feel good about keeping her box office crown, too.—
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If Payton’s keeping receipts, Superman is about to enter a no-fly zone.—
Verb
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Then there is the steady stream of profiles on tech billionaires joylessly devoting themselves to maximizing their lifespan.—
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From the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to CNN and even Fox News, nearly all the country’s major newsrooms are in the thrall of this vision of politics, devoting untold amounts of energy to technocratic commentary and polling.—
Verb
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To give yourself more storage for holding all of your vacation must-haves, simply snap both bags together to create a dual compartment design.—
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Peaceful protest, chanting, and holding signs are protected forms of speech.—
Verb
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The containers stack together for space-saving storage and are dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.—
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In addition to bills aimed at saving Coloradans money, there will be more 50 criminal justice bills aimed at making the state safer.—
Cite this Entry
“Reserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reserving. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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