in reserve

prepositional phrase

Stored and set aside for possible (future) use; spoken for.

“to hold [something] in reserve”

Similar
reservereservedreservedlyheld backsparebackupup one's sleeveon ice
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. Stored and set aside for possible (future) use; spoken for.

    to hold [something] in reserve

    5 more examples

    Near-synonyms: reserve, reserved, reservedly; held back; spare, backup; up one's sleeve, on ice, saved up, stored up, stored away

    [something] is held in reserve

    They still have forces in reserve.

    In 1915, concurrent with the L.S.W.R. electrification, power was supplied from the Waterloo sub-station, and the old equipment held in reserve. Some generator sets were removed, and motor generators installed for standby lighting and other services.

    1958 August 28, T. S. Lascelles, “Diamond Jubilee of the Waterloo & City Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 523

    The Schynige Platte Railway carries on its traffic with no more than four electric locomotives (with one steam locomotive in reserve).

    1960 December, 'Voyageur', “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 755

    Synonyms: reserve, reserved, reservedly, held back, spare, backup, up one's sleeve, on ice

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseStored and set aside for possible (future) use; spoken for.

Similar
reservereservedreservedlyheld backsparebackupup one's sleeveon icesaved upstored upstored away
Also see
reserved

Translations

Finnish varalla
  • varallaset aside for future use
French de réserve, en réserve
  • de réserveset aside for future use
  • en réserveset aside for future use
German in Reserve, auf Reserve
  • in Reserveset aside for future use
  • auf Reserveset aside for future use
Italian di riserva
  • di riservaset aside for future use
Polish w rękawie, w zanadrzu
  • w rękawieset aside for future use
  • w zanadrzuset aside for future use
Romanian în rezervă
  • în rezervăset aside for future use
Spanish de reserva
  • de reservaset aside for future use
Cite this entry
APA

in reserve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20reserve

MLA

“in reserve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20reserve. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in reserve,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20reserve.

Source: in reserve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.