Definition of reserve

• v. t. - To keep back; to retain; not to deliver, make over, or disclose.
• v. t. - Hence, to keep in store for future or special use; to withhold from present use for another purpose or time; to keep; to retain.
• v. t. - To make an exception of; to except.
• n. - The act of reserving, or keeping back; reservation.
• n. - That which is reserved, or kept back, as for future use.
• n. - That which is excepted; exception.
• n. - Restraint of freedom in words or actions; backwardness; caution in personal behavior.
• n. - A tract of land reserved, or set apart, for a particular purpose; as, the Connecticut Reserve in Ohio, originally set apart for the school fund of Connecticut; the Clergy Reserves in Canada, for the support of the clergy.
• n. - A body of troops in the rear of an army drawn up for battle, reserved to support the other lines as occasion may require; a force or body of troops kept for an exigency.
• n. - Funds kept on hand to meet liabilities.