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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  

[seyv] / 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  

[seyv] / 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

After years of impasse between states, the federal government has stepped in to try to save the beleaguered Colorado River.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Their planned changes would save £22bn in reforms to the disability programme alone, he added, seeing nearly three million claimants have their payments withdrawn or modified.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

On Thursday, closer Edwin Díaz blew a save opportunity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

More: Changing how Medicare pays for hospice care could save the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

“But what about the boy in my Flash? How do I save him?”

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Save the wolves, shoot the wolves—none of our business.

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026

Kate Matthews of the Save Our Mearns campaign group, fighting plans for upgraded pylons in north-east Scotland including the Kintore to Tealing project, said the discount scheme was an insult.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The charity Save the Children has called for urgent efforts to locate and register all minors, warning that girls in particular face "heightened risks of violence, trafficking and exploitation".

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Christopher Nolan’s epic ‘The Odyssey’ hits theaters, ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ delivers interdimensional hilarity, Tom Hiddleston explores Pompeii, and much, much more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

I put a blank disc into the laptop and hit the button to burn the Save Dad from His Funk playlist.

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

Moving to the cheaper plan without a router rental fee saves me $15 a month.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Jonathan Sirois made nine saves to earn his first clean sheet of the season as FC Dallas played the Galaxy to a scoreless draw.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The setup saves them roughly half of overall costs, according to Cisneros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Economists have a saying: A country’s current account balance is just the difference between how much it saves and how much it invests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Lourdes saves the pecan sticky buns for last.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

He saved all his birthday money and every allowance since he was 7 years old, knowing he would one day want to buy a car.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Plack made her first-ever TikTok to celebrate landing the Dominican escape—the video has received over 100,000 likes and was saved more than 17,000 times.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

"We were saved by a miracle," she adds.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

A rescuer at the site said about 10 people had been saved since the collapse.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Phineas is saved by his youth, his iron constitution, and Dr. Harlow's good nursing.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Tools for saving markets from drying up are more haphazard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Authorities would prioritise saving lives and persist with rescue efforts, Kumagai added.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Even within the tenuous reality of the movie, Frankie and Molly aren’t focused on saving their own necks, especially after their clairvoyant powers kick in and the friends realize they can communicate with closed mouths.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Next week, we’re going to talk about saving money on travel, so I want to hear all your tips for cutting vacation costs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Her hopes of saving her family drained away.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

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