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:
But she has a very specific aim - to unearth fabrics and clothing that she can salvage and refashion into new items, some of which she then sells.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Nearly 200 nations are gathering in Armenia on Monday for critical negotiations as governments come under pressure to salvage a landmark nature pact whose goals are slipping out of reach.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 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
But there was a way for Gaines to salvage the season.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
“Destitute of all comfort and company,” he salvages what he can from the wreckage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
The Bay Area’s White Pony Express salvages tons of food that would otherwise go to waste and uses it to feed the needy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2025
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
Can reporting out his own high-school scandal in first person, against everything he’s been taught about journalism, be the click-o-rama that salvages his career?
From New York Times ● Aug. 1, 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
Above a maze of tents in a crowded displacement camp in Gaza, homemade wind turbines made from scrap metal and salvaged debris spin in the sea breeze, bringing electricity to struggling Palestinians.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
Recovered impressively through the field to fourth and ensured Ferrari salvaged a huge result from a strategy that initially looked disastrous.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 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
On the hillside above the shop is an open-air lunch area, its seating made from wooden bleachers salvaged from the old right-field pavilion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Their abundant correspondence salvaged events from the mists of improbable facts.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
There have been five other scores above 288 in the fourth innings at Newlands - all of which were made in defeats or when salvaging a draw.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Closed in 2017 and left in disrepair, the museum, in urgent need of salvaging, has won priority from the new Hungarian government, though it may be many years before an actual reopening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Herman had begun salvaging parts before he even built the house, storing them in his studio loft in downtown L.A. until the time was right.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Mediators tasked with salvaging the struggling initiative requested ten more days to deliver their conclusions, the French government said this week after reports suggesting the effort had failed to bear fruit.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
Gitl, known throughout the country as Tante Gitl and Gitl the Bear, organized a rescue mission dedicated to salvaging the lives of young survivors and locating the remnants of their families.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
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