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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

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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

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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

Through it all, though, Lutnick’s long friendship with the president has been enough to save him.

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2026

“Learning to save regularly, diversify, keep costs low and leave the money invested is likely to be far more valuable than trying to identify the next hot stock,” La Spisa said.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 13, 2026

Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, said it was critical efforts be made to save the auto industry in Canada and its industrial economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

Catch-ups are meant to help older workers who didn’t save early or save enough during their careers, often because they dipped in and out of the workforce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

“Keep your mouth open and it will save your eardrums.”

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Arizona resident Jay Pea, a former software engineer and the founder of the nonprofit Save Standard Time, also wants to put an end to the twice-annual clock adjustments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

The milquetoast Pod Save America boys made him a recurring guest; California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to drop by the stream.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

Save for college, but never ahead of your own retirement.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Save the Children urged regional governments to "take urgent, ambitious action" to tackle the crisis, calling it the result of "policy choices and a failure to act."

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

“But that’s what you’re supposed to do. Help out at home. Save your money. Work toward goals. Here’s the part you’re too young to understand,” he said to me especially.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia

The cost of charging his vehicle saves him several hundred rupees a day, helping repay the loan he took out to buy the more expensive electric version.

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026

Speaking of big saves, Anderson is particularly tough on penalty kicks, facing three this season without allowing a goal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Chelsea keeper Mike Penders made two excellent saves.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

“This is not a customer that saves up for two years to buy a Louis Vuitton bag,” according to Beer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

“And el Conejo saves him from his suffering,” she whispers.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

But Earle saved her side of the story for her new Netflix reality TV show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026

By saving a stranger's life, Una Brown also saved her husband's.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

We saved, we put things off — including expensive cruises and a new kitchen — and I now want to use some of our life’s savings to improve our quality of life and enjoy it.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

One by one, they pleaded with the senators to legalize laetrile in Texas so that others could be saved just like they’d been.

From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2026

He’d saved Clare from Pain, and for that, Clare felt nothing but endless gratitude.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

One said she was a virgin saving herself for marriage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026

This was a rescue story, but also one of a drone nearly killing a man and another drone saving him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

I also had the good fortune to spend 17 years at Fidelity Investments, where I learned a lot about saving, investing, retirement income and how people actually make financial decisions.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026

"When it comes to saving lives, it doesn't matter who is who," he added.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026

For the French, saving Verdun had been a matter of national pride.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

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Related Words

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• conserve
• keep
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