Showing results for "save"

• a variation of Sava.

Jump To:

• 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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

---

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

Federal law allows the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to set up such demonstrations to test new payment models, though they are supposed to be small-scale and seek to save money.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The plan, set to kick-in in 2028, is expected to cost about £70m, with those behind it saying it will save £400m over 10 years.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Fabien Mistre, from the Correns winemaking cooperative, said winemakers in another part of southern France had tested some techniques to save their produce after a wildfire last year.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Spirits giant Diageo DGE 7.04%increase; green up pointing triangle said it aims to save some $1 billion over the coming years through a restructuring after booking a drop in sales and profit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

“I’ll save however many seats you want. If you want.”

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

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

Appeared in the July 29, 2026, print edition as 'The Paramount-Warner Merger Could Save Hollywood'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Save the Redwoods League last month conveyed the 125-acre property to the Yurok Tribe following a years-long project to restore the degraded industrial site to a diverse riparian habitat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The maintenance loan falls short of living costs by an average of £502 per month, according to analysis by Save The Student, external.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

I spent a few hours blasting through wave after wave of Brains, Spheroids, Quarks, and Hulks in my unending battle to Save the Last Human Family!

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Pretax money saves you tax today and gets taxed when you spend it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

It also saves mechanics from having to argue their case on a suggested repair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

He gave it three stars, saying Zendaya "saves" the film.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

In salary arbitration, relievers are evaluated in large part on how many saves they’ve accumulated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

In our fictions, a lucky shot saves your life.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

To put that sum in perspective, consider that the vast majority of American households have saved far less for retirement.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

That data is saved somewhere and stored forever, whether or not you want it to be.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

If Medicare had paid by visit rather than under the current model, it would have saved $7.6 billion on hospice care in 2024, the GAO said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

The time AI has saved us can go toward learning new skills, exploring more opportunities and nurturing relationships—a uniquely human activity technology can never replace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

I’ve saved all my babysitting money, nearly four hundred dollars.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Evan Wolfson founded and led the successful Freedom to Marry campaign for same-sex couples in the U.S., and he writes in Slate about how his experience offers lessons for saving American liberal democracy.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

But the idea that college sports actually need saving is up for debate.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

It also denied reports that Infantino had been rebuffed Monday in efforts to contact Trump for help in saving his presidency.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

"It isn't about saving something to preserve it. It is about reinventing something to give it the purpose and vision it needs to last," he added.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

As he watched it fall to the ground, Jack said good-bye to his best shot at saving himself.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Related Words

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