reserving

verb

present participle of reserve
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reserving Organizations increasingly route routine requests through smaller, less expensive models while reserving advanced systems for more complex work. — Michael Edmondson, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The city is considering changes to infrastructure, such as reserving curb space, to accommodate the Waymo rides, Pluckebaum said. — Madison Smalstig july 31, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026 Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid (don’t rinse pasta). — Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026 The protests stemmed from a High Court decision to uphold a quota system reserving 30% of government jobs for descendants of the veterans of the 1971 independence war. — Šumit Ganguly, NPR, 27 July 2026 Cook until al dente according to the package directions, reserving 3/4 cup of the pasta water before draining. — Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 18 July 2026 Feel free to wear your wedding band daily, reserving the engagement ring for special occasions. — Boutayna Chokrane, Vogue, 17 July 2026 Horace Dediu, founder of Asymco, said Apple is likely trying to keep the large majority of common Siri interactions on-device while reserving the most demanding tasks for the cloud. — Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 14 July 2026 Julia Child and Ina Garten both recommend reserving starchy potato liquid for a well-balanced potato salad. — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reserving
  1. booking
  2. retaining
  3. dedicating
  4. hiring
  5. keeping
  6. devoting
  7. holding
  8. saving
Verb
  • Imagine booking a ticket on one of Europe’s premier airlines, stepping onto a brand-new, ultra-modern Airbus A350, and walking past 34 of the grandest business-class suites in the sky — only to be told no one is allowed to sit in them.
    — Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Cabanas at the Four Seasons pool are limited to hotel guests, so booking one on a busy weekend can quietly upgrade your whole stay.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of booking
Verb
  • Protecting the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is essential to ensuring America can continue recruiting and retaining the public servants our communities depend on.
    — Verna L. Williams, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
  • For now, sister station KOLA is retaining its air staff; KOLA is one of the most successful stations in the IE.
    — Richard Wagoner, Daily News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of retaining
Verb
  • Growing up in a very pro-Israel home guided me toward dedicating my life to educating kids and adults about Israel and the importance of supporting its various institutions.
    — Roni Raab, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Consider dedicating a few days to skill-building—such as taking an online course or attending local workshops.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of dedicating
Verb
  • The Bruins announced the hiring Monday of the 35-year-old Carr, who is volunteering in his first major coaching role.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • McDonnell seemed to prize family connections over real-world experience, hiring her nephews to serve as directors and executive producers on various series.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of hiring
Verb
  • And that doesn’t count other Navy demands on the carrier fleet, like exercises with allies or keeping a presence in the Indo-Pacific, Parker said.
    — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • His machines cut six acres a day, continuously keeping South Farms’ lawns neat.
    — Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of keeping
Verb
  • As a result, many web hosting services offer the platform, with WP Engine devoting all its resources to it.
    — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In their talk at the cybersecurity conference, the OpenAI researchers described devoting significant AI-computing resources to reviewing more than 7 billion agent actions.
    — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of devoting
Verb
  • But that’s not what Parkinson wants from his holding players, as shown by James being 84th in the same metric.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • In a hearing on Wednesday, a judge ruled that Iron Mountain must hand over any physical devices holding the data, Current reported today.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of holding
Verb
  • Fazio has criticized Lamont for not saving even more to shrink this hefty debt.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The aid workers who once regularly visited her village to help pregnant women had stopped coming, after foreign aid cuts by the United States shuttered a program aimed at saving mothers’ and babies’ lives.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of saving

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reserves
reserving
reservist
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Cite this Entry

“Reserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reserving. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of reserving for Spanish Speakers

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