conserve

UK: verb: /kənˈsɜː^rv/, noun: /ˈkɒnsɜː^rv/

US: /v. kənˈsɝv; n. ˈkɑnsɝv, kənˈsɝv/

US: (v. kən sûrv′; n. kon′sûrv, kən sûrv′)

Inflections of 'conserve' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

conserves

v 3rd person singular

conserving

v pres p

conserved

v past

conserved

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

con•serve /v. kənˈsɜrv; n. ˈkɑnsɜrv, kənˈsɜrv/   v., -served, -serv•ing, n. 
v. [~ + object]

1. to prevent injury, waste, or loss of:
   Conserve your strength for the race.
2. Ecology to use or manage (natural resources) wisely:
   Conserve the environment.

n. [uncountable]

3. Food a mixture of fruits cooked with sugar to a jamlike thickness.

con•serv•a•ble, adj. 
con•serv•er, n. [countable] See -serv-².

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

con•serve  (v. kən sûrv′;n. kon′sûrv, kən sûrv′), v., -served, -serv•ing, n. 
v.t. 

1. to prevent injury, decay, waste, or loss of:
   Conserve your strength for the race.
2. Ecology to use or manage (natural resources) wisely;
   preserve;
   save:
   Conserve the woodlands.
3. Physics to hold (a property) constant during an interaction or process:
   the interaction conserved linear momentum.
4. Food to preserve (fruit) by cooking with sugar or syrup.

n. 

5. Food Often, conserves. a mixture of several fruits cooked to jamlike consistency with sugar and often garnished with nuts and raisins.

• Latin, as above
• Middle French conserve, noun, nominal derivative of conserver
• Latin conservāre to save, preserve, equivalent. to con- con- + servāre to watch over, guard (akin to servus slave, servīre to serve); (noun, nominal) Middle English
• (verb, verbal) Middle English 1325–75

con•serv′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 2. husband, safeguard.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

conserve verb / kənˈsɜːv/(transitive)

1. to keep or protect from harm, decay, loss, etc
2. to preserve (a foodstuff, esp fruit) with sugar

noun / ˈkɒnsɜːv kənˈsɜːv/

1. a preparation of fruit in sugar, similar to jam but usually containing whole pieces of fruit

Etymology: (vb) C14: from Latin conservāre to keep safe, from servāre to save, protect; (n) C14: from Medieval Latin conserva, from Latin conservāre