preserve (preserves plural & 3rd person present) (preserving present participle) (preserved past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you preserve a situation or condition, you make sure that it remains as it is, and does not change or end.
(=maintain)
We will do everything to preserve peace. V n
...an effort to fit in more students while preserving standards. V n
preservation n-uncount
(=maintenance)
...the preservation of the status quo.
2 verb If you preserve something, you take action to save it or protect it from damage or decay.
We need to preserve the forest... V n
...perfectly preserved medieval houses. V-ed
preservation n-uncount
...the preservation of buildings of architectural or historic interest.
3 verb If you preserve food, you treat it in order to prevent it from decaying so that you can store it for a long time.
I like to make puree, using only enough sugar to preserve the plums. V n
...preserved ginger in syrup. V-ed
4 n-plural Preserves are foods such as jam that are made by cooking fruit with a large amount of sugar so that they can be stored for a long time.
5 n-count If you say that a job or activity is the preserve of a particular person or group of people, you mean that they are the only ones who take part in it.
usu N of n
The conduct of foreign policy is largely the preserve of the president...
6 n-count A nature preserve is an area of land or water where animals are protected from hunters. (AM) usu supp N
(=reserve) ...Pantanal, one of the world's great wildlife preserves.
preservation order (preservation orders plural )In Britain, a preservation order is an official order that makes it illegal for anyone to alter or destroy something such as an old building or an area of countryside. n-count
The entire city is under a preservation order.
self-preservation
Self-preservation is the action of keeping yourself safe or alive in a dangerous situation, often without thinking about what you are doing. n-uncount
The police have the same human urge for self-preservation as the rest of us.
