reserves

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of reserve.

   The central bank announced that its gold reserves had grown over the past year.

   Several nature reserves border the river along its eastern stretch.

   Note

   The plural gathers the concrete meanings of reserve: resources known to exist but not yet exploited, tracts of land set apart for a purpose, and bodies of troops held back for an emergency. In Canada, reserves are also lands set apart for Aboriginal groups, as in Indian reserve. The companion word usually settles which is meant: oil or gold reserves, nature reserves, an army's reserves.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of reserve.

   The committee reserves the right to change the schedule without notice.

   She reserves her sharpest comments for the final round of questions.

   Note

   The present-tense verb shares its spelling with the noun plural, so only the sentence tells them apart: the bank reserves funds, but the bank's reserves. When it means keeping something in store or booking ahead, it can take two objects, as in a host who reserves a guest a seat. An obsolete use meant simply to make an exception of something.

   The restaurant reserves regulars a table by the window every Friday.

   He always reserves himself the last slice.

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