conserve
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To save for later use, sometimes by the use of a preservative.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kuhnsurvSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
kənˈsɝv
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To save for later use, sometimes by the use of a preservative.
transitive
To protect an environment, heritage, etc.
Use cautiously and frugally
noun
A jam or thick syrup made from fruit.
Wilderness where human development is prohibited.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To save for later use, sometimes by the use of a preservative.
Used this way, conserve is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use conserve
- “Mom always conserved the strawberries we grew in the backyard.”verb
- “Energy is conserved in this process.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An occurrence of improvement by virtue of preventing loss or injury or other change.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Parity is conserved in a universe in which the laws of physics are the same in a right-handed system of coordinates as in a left-handed system.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: jam or thick syrup made from fruit
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.