# preserves

/pɹəˈzɝvz/ (US) · /pɹɪsˈɜːvz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/preserves
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. food in jars

noun · CEFR B1

fruit or vegetables that are cooked with sugar or vinegar and kept in jars, such as jam or marmalade.

For teachers: foodstuffs, typically fruit or vegetables, prepared by cooking with a preservative agent like sugar or vinegar to ensure long-term storage.

- She makes delicious strawberry preserves every summer using fruit from her garden.
- The pantry was stocked with various preserves, ranging from traditional orange marmalade to more experimental spicy plum chutneys.

### 2. protected areas

noun · CEFR B2

places where animals or plants are protected from hunters or builders.

For teachers: areas of land managed specifically for the protection of wildlife, flora, or fauna.

- The country has several nature preserves where you can see rare birds.
- Environmentalists lobbied for the expansion of the coastal preserves to protect the nesting grounds of endangered sea turtles.

### 3. to keep safe

verb · CEFR B1

to keep something safe from being damaged or destroyed.

For teachers: the third-person singular present form of 'preserve', meaning to maintain something in its original or existing state.

- This special spray preserves the wood and keeps it from rotting.
- The new law preserves the rights of local residents to access the beach during the peak tourist season.

## Examples

- She makes delicious strawberry preserves every summer.
- The pantry was stocked with various preserves, including pickled onions and homemade apricot jam.
- While commercial jams are widely available, many people still prefer the artisanal quality of small-batch preserves made from locally sourced, seasonal fruit.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.