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• save
  save

  verb (used with object)

  to rescue from danger or possible harm, injury, or loss.
• Save
  Save

  noun

  Sava.

save

¹ American  

[sayv] / seɪv /

verb (used with object)

• saves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• saved,
  past participle,  past
• saving
  present participle

1. to rescue from danger or possible harm, injury, or loss.

   to save someone from drowning.

   Synonyms:

   salvage

2. to keep safe, intact, or unhurt; safeguard; preserve.

   God save the king.

3. to keep from being lost to an opponent.

   A goal in the final minute saved the game.

4. to avoid the spending, consumption, or waste of.

   to save fuel.

5. to keep, as for reuse.

   to save leftovers for tomorrow's dinner.

6. to set aside, reserve, or lay by.

   to save money.

   Synonyms:

   husband, store up

7. to treat carefully in order to reduce wear, fatigue, etc..

   to save one's eyes by reading under proper light.

8. to prevent the occurrence, use, or necessity of; obviate.

   to come early in order to save waiting.

9. Theology. to deliver from the power and consequences of sin.

10. Computers. to copy (a file or other data) to a storage medium, as from RAM to a disk.

11. Sports. to stop (a ball or puck) from entering one's goal.

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verb (used without object)

• saves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• saved,
  past participle,  past
• saving
  present participle

1. to lay up money as the result of economy or thrift.

   Synonyms:

   hoard, economize

2. to be economical in expenditure.

3. to preserve something from harm, injury, loss, etc.

4. to keep or last without spoiling, as food.

noun

• saves
  plural

1. an act or instance of saving, especially in sports.

   The goalie guarded the net well and made a crucial save.

2. Baseball. a statistical credit given a relief pitcher for preserving a team's victory by holding its lead in a game.

3. Computers.

   1. an act of copying a file or other data to a storage medium.

      The server is scheduled to execute a systemwide save at the end of the work day.

   2. one version of a saved file.

      We can recover the lost data if we restore it from a previous save.

save ² American  

[sayv] / seɪv /

preposition

1. except; but.

   All the guests had left save one.

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conjunction

1. except; but (usually followed bythat ).

   He would have gone, save that he had no means.

Save ³ American  

[sah-vuh] / ˈsɑ və /

noun

1. Sava.

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save ¹ British  

/ seɪv /

verb

1. (tr) to rescue, preserve, or guard (a person or thing) from danger or harm

2. to avoid the spending, waste, or loss of (money, possessions, etc)

3. (tr) to deliver from sin; redeem

4. (often foll by up) to set aside or reserve (money, goods, etc) for future use

5. (tr) to treat with care so as to avoid or lessen wear or degeneration

   use a good light to save your eyes

6. (tr) to prevent the necessity for; obviate the trouble of

   good work now will save future revision

7. (tr) sport to prevent (a goal) by stopping (a struck ball or puck)

8. (intr) (of food) to admit of preservation; keep

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noun

1. sport the act of saving a goal

2. computing an instruction to write information from the memory onto a tape or disk

save ² British  

/ seɪv /

preposition

1. Also: saving. (often foll by for) with the exception of

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conjunction

1. but; except

save Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing save

• penny saved is a penny earned
• rainy day, save for a
• scrimp and save
• to save one's life

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Usage

What is a basic definition of save? Save means to rescue from danger, to lessen the use of something, or to set something aside for later. Save has many other uses, especially as a verb and a noun. If you save someone, you prevent them from being harmed or injured. Nonliving things can also be saved from destruction or damage. A person who saves someone or something else can be called a savior.

• Real-life examples: Superheroes save the world from supervillains and disasters. Firefighters often save people from burning buildings. A gardener may need to save their plants from hungry animals.
• Used in a sentence: We managed to gather support and save the park from being bulldozed. 

When you save gas or save time, you are lowering the amount that you usually spend. Things that lower the amount of stuff needed are called savers with another noun describing what is being saved, as in time saver. The noun saving, meaning a reduction, is based on this sense of save.

• Real-life examples: Many people want to save money they spend on gas by buying fuel-efficient cars. Using a calculator to solve math problems saves time and stress involved with doing the math in your head. You can save water by turning off the sink while brushing your teeth.
• Used in a sentence: I think our country will save money on energy if we switch to solar power. 

Save can also mean to keep something for later. For example, many people save money for a special thing they want to buy or so they have some available in case of an emergency. The word savings is used to refer to money saved for future need.

• Real-life examples: People often save leftover food to eat later rather than throw it away. Some people save food, water, and other supplies in case of emergencies. Hospitals may save emergency supplies of blood and medicine so they don’t run out.
• Used in a sentence: I am saving my funniest jokes for the talent show. 

Synonym Usage

See except ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• savableness
  noun
• saveableness
  noun
• saver
  noun
• savable
  adjective
• saveable
  adjective
• unsavable
  adjective
• unsaveable
  adjective
• unsaved
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• saves
  plural

Participles

• saving
  present
• saved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• save
  simple
• saves
  simple
• have saved
  perfect
• has saved
  perfect
• am saving
  progressive
• are saving
  progressive
• is saving
  progressive
• have been saving
  perfect progressive
• has been saving
  perfect progressive

Past

• saved
  simple
• had saved
  perfect
• was saving
  progressive
• were saving
  progressive
• had been saving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will save
  simple
• will have saved
  perfect
• will be saving
  progressive
• will have been saving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of save¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English sa(u)ven, from Old French sauver, salver, from Late Latin salvāre “to save”; see origin at safe

Origin of save²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sauue, sauf, save, variant of safe

Explanation

To save is to keep safe. So, you might save money for college, save a kitten from drowning, or save a dropped football. You can save a choking person by giving them the Heimlich maneuver, or save a stray puppy from running into the street. There are other ways to save things, too, like when you keep them for later: "You can eat your brownie, but I'll save mine until after dinner." Or when you spend less money: "I'll save by buying this at the used book store." The Latin root is salvus, "safe."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

save Save saves saved saving

If they saved about $1,000 each month, it would take nearly three years to save up for this down payment.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

I did what I thought was the right thing, that might not be the popular thing, the thing that would save the most lives.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

Unlike past Games, there is no athletes' village in a bid to save money, with participants instead sleeping in temporary wooden units, on a cruise ship and in hotels.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Officials have suggested the change could save £15bn a year by 2040.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

“What do we need to do to save the Academy?” he asked.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

The work was supported by the Colgan Foundation, awarded to Kajiura, and the National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation, awarded to Sullivan.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

Campaign group Save Britain's Heritage said the local authority ordered Halabi to carry out urgent repairs to its deteriorating roof in the notice.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

"My personal concern is about the need for affordable social housing for young people and preserving the heritage, the special character, of the area," said Susanna Kow, a member of the Save Brick Lane campaign.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Appeared in the September 3, 2026, print edition as 'How a Quest to Save Galliano’s Legacy Failed'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

With only two weeks left to raise money for Operation Save Fig, I had no clue how I was going to do it.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

And using stored energy from both renewable and nonrenewable sources to meet high demand saves the expense and environmental impact of burning fossil fuels to ratchet up production.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Yet the Dutchman made 11 saves that day at Manchester City, more than anyone else would manage in a single game that season.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Killing the penny saves about $56 million a year.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

In doing so, it saves cats and sets them on a path to a loving home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Not yet, but he always saves his proper speech for after the feast, doesn’t he? It can’t be long now.”

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

"I'm really thankful the doctor called the ambulance straight away when he noticed the rash - those quick decisions potentially saved our lives," said Drew.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

If the genders were reversed and your husband was the one with $8 million saved for retirement and had sold a business, the public and private perception of your relationship would likely be quite different.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

The elder Modrzejewski was critically injured in the incident and received an emergency blood transfusion from Pasadena Fire Department paramedics, an action that “probably saved his life,” according to city spokesperson Lisa Derderian.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

The amount of money saved by convicted defendants during his second term is exponentially higher.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

Inside, saved as per the directions, were the pieces of the shell.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

In reality, rather than saving more for a down payment, car buyers have been taking out longer loans to reduce their monthly payment.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

After trawling through dozens of applications, the hunt is over: an Australian animal welfare group has found a successor to a hero hound credited with saving more than 100 koalas from fires.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

And by 2040 the annual saving was estimated by the OBR to be 0.2% of GDP, equivalent to £6bn a year in today's money.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Most importantly, the 29-year-old Alvarez played in a career-high 158 games, saving an Astros team that was beset by injuries all season long.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

There was no saving Sharon’s reputation in their eyes, and just as little hope for her future.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• collect
• conserve
• keep
• maintain
• manage
• spare
• store