salvage
Americannoun
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the act of saving a ship or its cargo from perils of the seas.
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the property so saved.
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compensation given to those who voluntarily save a ship or its cargo.
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the act of saving anything from fire, danger, etc.
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the property so saved.
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the value or proceeds upon sale of goods recovered from a shipwreck, fire, etc.
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the act of saving something of use or value from destruction, damage, ruin, loss, or waste.
The salvage of carcass parts for pharmaceutical or research use is permitted if it does not interfere with sanitary operations.
verb (used with object)
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salvages,
present (3rd person singular)
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salvaged,
past participle, past
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salvaging
present participle
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to save or rescue (property) from shipwreck, fire, or other peril.
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to save from destruction, damage, ruin, or loss.
A new achievement was the only way to salvage his reputation.
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to preserve (a useful or valuable part) from something otherwise wasted, discarded, or deemed a failure: I tried to salvage the unburnt part of the cornbread.
We purchase end-of-life vehicles and salvage scrap metal.
I tried to salvage the unburnt part of the cornbread.
The team has a chance to salvage some degree of glory from a dismal season.
noun
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the act, process, or business of rescuing vessels or their cargoes from loss at sea
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the act of saving any goods or property in danger of damage or destruction
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( as modifier )
a salvage operation
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the goods or property so saved
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compensation paid for the salvage of a vessel or its cargo
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the proceeds from the sale of salvaged goods or property
verb
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to save or rescue (goods or property) from fire, shipwreck, etc
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to gain (something beneficial) from a failure
she salvaged little from the broken marriage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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salvagesimple
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salvagessimple
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have salvagedperfect
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has salvagedperfect
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am salvagingprogressive
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are salvagingprogressive
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is salvagingprogressive
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have been salvagingperfect progressive
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has been salvagingperfect progressive
Past
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salvagedsimple
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had salvagedperfect
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was salvagingprogressive
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were salvagingprogressive
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had been salvagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of salvage
First recorded in 1635–45; from Old French; see origin at save 1, -age
Explanation
To salvage something is to save it...before it's too late. You might try to salvage your damaged reputation by defending yourself, or salvage a burnt piece of toast by scraping off the black residue. As a noun salvage is the act of rescuing stuff from a disaster like a shipwreck or fire — or the rescued goods themselves. As a verb, salvage means to collect or rescue that sort of item, or more generally to save something from harm or ruin. If you want to salvage your grade, you need to stop gaming so much and start studying more.
Vocabulary lists containing salvage
Esperanza Rising
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This Week in Words: September 29 - October 5, 2018
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The Cay
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Power and water cuts have also hit areas of the city, notably in Sariyer where shopkeepers could be seen trying to salvage their goods from the mud, an AFP journalist said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
When Hurts dropped back to pass on third down, attempting to salvage the game, he was stripped by linebacker Byron Young, who tallied 2.5 sacks in the game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Their experiments showed that MDS stem cells depend strongly on the NAD salvage pathway, a recycling process that helps cells maintain their supply of NAD.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Tyler Shough bundled over in a big crowd for a slightly controversial touchdown given the ball was largely unsighted, before two-time MVP Jackson then threw a late interception when trying to salvage the game.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
After hearing the news, Howard raced back to see what he could salvage.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
“Destitute of all comfort and company,” he salvages what he can from the wreckage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
A man salvages his food from trash out of ethical and environmental concerns over waste.
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2023
Baltimore’s Recreation and Parks Department salvages wood from city trees and redirects it to Camp Small, a city-run processing facility, where it’s used in city construction or sold to residents.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2022
Holland eventually chooses to use his power for Good, and not for Evil, and in doing so salvages the sacrosanct purity and moral reputation of Marvel superheroes.
From Salon ● May 5, 2022
He salvages the inferior Soviet equipment, milled from marginal steel, clumsily soldered; it’s all so unsystematic.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Steel casement windows and oversize doors used throughout the house are salvaged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
A viewer may be less so, though Mr. Pineda handles the so-called salvaged materials deftly, if loosely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Her home of salvaged wood was still standing after the storm but the tin roofs had been blown off the kitchen and bedroom.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
The good news is that when new ownership takes over of organizations, companies and properties, they can often be salvaged.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Some of the men in the Second Raider Regiment of our Third Marine Division even made a tall wooden sign out of spare planks salvaged from packing crates.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
Cape Verde’s chances of so much as salvaging draws out of those two matches was about as likely as landing a World Cup gig on the internet: a paltry 2.7%, according to pregame betting odds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
Vonn credited Dr. Tom Hackett, an orthopedic surgeon who works for Vonn and Team USA, for salvaging the limb.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to address European leaders on Saturday as they try to step up their autonomy in defence while salvaging transatlantic ties badly strained under President Donald Trump.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
"Their aim has to be salvaging the season by qualifying for the Champions League with a top-four or perhaps top-five finish - but that's a big drop-off from what we saw last season," added Shearer.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
“Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S. Hunley.”
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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