4 N‑PLURAL Preserves are foods such as jam that are made by cooking fruit with a large amount of sugar so that they can be stored for a long time.
5 N‑COUNT If you say that a job or activity is the preserve of a particular person or group of people, you mean that they are the only ones who take part in it. □ [+ of ] The conduct of foreign policy is largely the preserve of the president.
6 N‑COUNT A nature preserve is an area of land or water where animals are protected from hunters. [AM ] □ …Pantanal, one of the world's great wildlife preserves. SYNONYMS preserve VERB
1
maintain: …the emergency powers to try to maintain law and order.
retain: The interior of the shop still retains a nineteenth-century atmosphere.
sustain: He has sustained his fierce social conscience from young adulthood through old age.
keep up: There will be a major incentive among TV channels to keep standards up.
2
maintain: The house costs a fortune to maintain.
protect: So, what can women do to protect themselves from heart disease?
safeguard: They will press for international action to safeguard the ozone layer.
conserve: …a big increase in U.S. aid to help developing countries conserve their forests.
pre|set /priː se t/ (presets , presetting ) also pre-set The form preset is used in the present tense and is the past tense and past participle. VERB [usu passive] If a piece of equipment is preset , its controls have been set in advance of the time you want it to work. □ [be V -ed] …a computerised timer that can be preset to a variety of programs. □ [V -ed] Bake the cake in a preset oven.
pre|side /pr I za I d/ (presides , presiding , presided ) VERB If you preside over a meeting or an event, you are in charge. □ [V + over/at ] The PM presided over a meeting of his inner Cabinet. □ [V -ing] The presiding officer ruled that the motion was out of order.
presi|den|cy ◆◇◇ /pre z I dənsi/ (presidencies ) N‑COUNT The presidency of a country or organization is the position of being the president or the period of time during which someone is president. □ Poverty had declined during his presidency.
presi|dent ◆◆◆ /pre z I dənt/ (presidents )
1 N‑TITLE ; N‑COUNT The president of a country that has no king or queen is the person who is the head of state of that country. □ The White House says the president would veto the bill.
2 N‑COUNT The president of an organization is the person who has the highest position in it. □ [+ of ] …Alexandre de Merode, the president of the medical commission. SYNONYMS president NOUN 2
chairman: I had done business with the company's chairman.
managing director: She is managing director of a construction company.
MD: He's going to be the MD of the Park Lane company.
CEO: They have replaced their CEO.
pre sident-ele ct N‑SING The president-elect is the person who has been elected as the president of an organization or country, but who has not yet taken office. □ …one of the president-elect's best proposals during the campaign.
presi|den|tial ◆◆◇ /pre z I de nʃ ə l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Presidential activities or things relate or belong to a president. □ …Peru's presidential election. □ There are several presidential candidates.
press ◆◆◆ /pre s/ (presses , pressing , pressed )
1 VERB If you press something somewhere, you push it firmly against something else. □ [V n + against ] He pressed his back against the door. □ [V n prep] They pressed the silver knife into the cake.
2 VERB If you press a button or switch, you push it with your finger in order to make a machine or device work. □ [V n] Drago pressed a button and the door closed. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Press is also a noun. □ …a TV which rises from a table at the press of a button.
3 VERB If you press something or press down on it, you push hard against it with your foot or hand. □ [V n] The engine stalled. He pressed the accelerator hard. □ [V adv] She stood up and leaned forward with her hands pressing down on the desk. [Also V on n]
4 VERB If you press for something, you try hard to persuade someone to give it to you or to agree to it. □ [V + for ] Police might now press for changes in the law. □ [V + for ] They had pressed for their children to be taught French.
5 VERB If you press someone, you try hard to persuade them to do something. □ [V n to-inf] Trade unions are pressing him to stand firm. □ [be V -ed + for/about ] Mr King seems certain to be pressed for further details. □ [be V -ed + for/about ] She smiles coyly when pressed about her private life. [Also V n into n/-ing]
6 VERB If someone presses their claim, demand, or point, they state it in a very forceful way. □ [V n] The protest campaign has used mass strikes and demonstrations to press its demands.
7 VERB If an unpleasant feeling or worry presses on you, it affects you very much or you are always thinking about it. □ [V + on ] The weight of irrational guilt pressed on her.