diff --git a/docs/options.md b/docs/options.md
index 4dfc3107..5d78e6dd 100644
--- a/docs/options.md
+++ b/docs/options.md
@@ -83,3 +83,4 @@ The `dereference` options control how JSON Schema $Ref Parser will dereference `
 | `excludedPathMatcher` | `(string) => boolean`                                                  | A function, called for each path, which can return true to stop this path and all subpaths from being dereferenced further. This is useful in schemas where some subpaths contain literal `$ref` keys that should not be dereferenced.                                                                                                                                                          |
 | `onCircular`          | `(string) => void`                                                     | A function, called immediately after detecting a circular `$ref` with the circular `$ref` in question.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
 | `onDereference`       | `(string, JSONSchemaObjectType, JSONSchemaObjectType, string) => void` | A function, called immediately after dereferencing, with: the resolved JSON Schema value, the `$ref` being dereferenced, the object holding the dereferenced prop, the dereferenced prop name.                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
+| `preservedProperties` | `string[]`                                                             | An array of properties to preserve when dereferencing a `$ref` schema. Useful if you want to enforce non-standard dereferencing behavior like present in the OpenAPI 3.1 specification where `description` and `summary` properties are preserved when alongside a `$ref` pointer.                                                                                                              |
diff --git a/lib/dereference.ts b/lib/dereference.ts
index 886b2cbe..c0f989de 100644
--- a/lib/dereference.ts
+++ b/lib/dereference.ts
@@ -123,7 +123,31 @@ function crawl<S extends object = JSONSchema, O extends ParserOptions<S> = Parse
             circular = dereferenced.circular;
             // Avoid pointless mutations; breaks frozen objects to no profit
             if (obj[key] !== dereferenced.value) {
+              // If we have properties we want to preserve from our dereferenced schema then we need
+              // to copy them over to our new object.
+              const preserved: Map<string, unknown> = new Map();
+              if (derefOptions?.preservedProperties) {
+                if (typeof obj[key] === "object" && !Array.isArray(obj[key])) {
+                  derefOptions?.preservedProperties.forEach((prop) => {
+                    if (prop in obj[key]) {
+                      preserved.set(prop, obj[key][prop]);
+                    }
+                  });
+                }
+              }
+
               obj[key] = dereferenced.value;
+
+              // If we have data to preserve and our dereferenced object is still an object then
+              // we need copy back our preserved data into our dereferenced schema.
+              if (derefOptions?.preservedProperties) {
+                if (preserved.size && typeof obj[key] === "object" && !Array.isArray(obj[key])) {
+                  preserved.forEach((value, prop) => {
+                    obj[key][prop] = value;
+                  });
+                }
+              }
+
               derefOptions?.onDereference?.(value.$ref, obj[key], obj, key);
             }
           } else {
diff --git a/lib/options.ts b/lib/options.ts
index f7b9af8a..a66b1e00 100644
--- a/lib/options.ts
+++ b/lib/options.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,16 @@ export interface DereferenceOptions {
    */
   onDereference?(path: string, value: JSONSchemaObject, parent?: JSONSchemaObject, parentPropName?: string): void;
 
+  /**
+   * An array of properties to preserve when dereferencing a `$ref` schema. Useful if you want to
+   * enforce non-standard dereferencing behavior like present in the OpenAPI 3.1 specification where
+   * `description` and `summary` properties are preserved when alongside a `$ref` pointer.
+   *
+   * If none supplied then no properties will be preserved and the object will be fully replaced
+   * with the dereferenced `$ref`.
+   */
+  preservedProperties?: string[];
+
   /**
    * Whether a reference should resolve relative to its directory/path, or from the cwd
    *
diff --git a/lib/util/errors.ts b/lib/util/errors.ts
index 3a643bd8..af08d230 100644
--- a/lib/util/errors.ts
+++ b/lib/util/errors.ts
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ export class MissingPointerError extends JSONParserError {
   public targetToken: any;
   public targetRef: string;
   public targetFound: string;
-  public parentPath: string; 
+  public parentPath: string;
   constructor(token: any, path: any, targetRef: any, targetFound: any, parentPath: any) {
     super(`Missing $ref pointer "${getHash(path)}". Token "${token}" does not exist.`, stripHash(path));
 
diff --git a/test/specs/dereference-preservedProperties/dereference-preservedProperties.spec.ts b/test/specs/dereference-preservedProperties/dereference-preservedProperties.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..95ec0fda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/specs/dereference-preservedProperties/dereference-preservedProperties.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import { describe, it } from "vitest";
+import $RefParser from "../../../lib/index.js";
+import pathUtils from "../../utils/path.js";
+
+import { expect } from "vitest";
+import type { Options } from "../../../lib/options";
+
+describe("dereference.preservedProperties", () => {
+  it("should preserve properties", async () => {
+    const parser = new $RefParser();
+    const schema = pathUtils.rel("test/specs/dereference-preservedProperties/dereference-preservedProperties.yaml");
+    const options = {
+      dereference: {
+        preservedProperties: ["description"],
+      },
+    } as Options;
+    const res = await parser.dereference(schema, options);
+
+    expect(res).to.deep.equal({
+      title: "Person",
+      required: ["name"],
+      type: "object",
+      definitions: {
+        name: {
+          type: "string",
+          description: "Someone's name",
+        },
+      },
+      properties: {
+        name: {
+          type: "string",
+          description: "Someone's name",
+        },
+        secretName: {
+          type: "string",
+          description: "Someone's secret name",
+        },
+      },
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/specs/dereference-preservedProperties/dereference-preservedProperties.yaml b/test/specs/dereference-preservedProperties/dereference-preservedProperties.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7a067f5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/specs/dereference-preservedProperties/dereference-preservedProperties.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+title: Person
+required:
+  - name
+type: object
+definitions:
+  name:
+    type: string
+    description: Someone's name
+properties:
+  name:
+    $ref: "#/definitions/name"
+  secretName:
+    $ref: "#/definitions/name"
+    # Despite "Someone's name" being the description of the referenced `name` schema our overwritten
+    # description should be preserved instead.
+    description: Someone's secret name