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Glite Dictionary
military reserve

military reserve

1 4.0
A group of trained soldiers not on active duty who can be called in emergencies
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛri rɪˈzɜrv/
translation icon : reserva militar
  • call up military reserve
  • military reserve units
  • military reserve personnel

Examples

  • Selection criteria included the strength of a company's military recruiting efforts, the percentage of new hires with prior military service, and company policies on National Guard and military reserve service.

    Blog text (4)

  • The government has announced a call-up of the military reserve units to respond to the growing crisis.

  • Members of the military reserve train regularly to ensure they are ready for potential emergencies.

  • During the national emergency, the military reserve is often mobilized to support active-duty forces.

Synonyms

reserve
vsmilitary reserve
112 3.7

A player who is not a regular starter but can play if needed

is a military backup composed of trained personnel called up in emergencies
reserves
vsmilitary reserve
4.6

People who train as soldiers and can be called to serve in emergencies

is formally part of the armed forces despite not being on active duty

How Ready

active
205 4.8
standby
3.7
military reserve
1 4.0
reservist
31 6.7

Surface Forms

military reserve singular
military reserves plural

Morphology

military + reserves

The meaning is transparently built from 'military' (relating to armed forces) plus 'reserve(s)' (personnel held back for use when needed); the combined sense of personnel not on active duty but callable in emergencies follows directly from the constituents. This adjectival + noun composition is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The term military reserve comes from the idea of keeping soldiers in reserve, like extra supplies held back for later use. These troops were 'not on active duty' but ready to be 'called up' in an emergency, which is why the phrase means that today.