saving

[ sey-ving ]

/ ˈseɪ vɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR saving ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

tending or serving to save; rescuing; preserving.

compensating; redeeming: a saving sense of humor.

thrifty; economical: a saving housekeeper.

making a reservation: a saving clause.

noun

a reduction or lessening of expenditure or outlay: a saving of 10 percent.

something that is saved.

savings, sums of money saved by economy and laid away.

Law. a reservation or exception.

preposition

except: Nothing remains saving these ruins.

with all due respect to or for: saving your presence.

conjunction

except; save.

Nearby words

saved by the bell, saveloy, savery, savigny, savin, saving, saving grace, saving grace, a, savings account, savings and loan association, savings bank

Origin of saving

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at save¹, -ing², -ing¹

SYNONYMS FOR saving

2 restoring, redemptory, qualifying.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR saving ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

sav·ing·ly, adverbnon·sav·ing, adjectiveun·sav·ing, adjectiveun·sav·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for saving (2 of 2)

save

[ seyv ]

/ seɪv /

verb (used with object), saved, sav·ing.

to rescue from danger or possible harm, injury, or loss: to save someone from drowning.

to keep safe, intact, or unhurt; safeguard; preserve: God save the king.

to keep from being lost: to save the game.

to avoid the spending, consumption, or waste of: to save fuel.

to keep, as for reuse: to save leftovers for tomorrow's dinner.

to set aside, reserve, or lay by: to save money.

to treat carefully in order to reduce wear, fatigue, etc.: to save one's eyes by reading under proper light.

to prevent the occurrence, use, or necessity of; obviate: to come early in order to save waiting.

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

Computers. to copy (a file) from RAM onto a disk or other storage medium.

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

verb (used without object), saved, sav·ing.

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

to be economical in expenditure.

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

to admit of being kept without spoiling, as food.

noun

an act or instance of saving, especially in sports.

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

Origin of save

1175–1225; Middle English sa(u)ven < Old French sauver < Late Latin salvāre to save; see safe

SYNONYMS FOR save

1 salvage.

6 store up, husband.

12 economize, hoard.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR save ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

sav·a·ble, save·a·ble, adjectivesav·a·ble·ness, save·a·ble·ness, nounsav·er, nounun·sav·a·ble, adjective

un·save·a·ble, adjectiveun·saved, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for saving

Now, the goalkeeper is out with a memoir about his life until that point: The Keeper: A Life of Saving Goals and Achieving Them.
Tim Howard’s Wall of Intensity|William O’Connor|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But it remains a moral crime to vilify good cops who have made the city safe, saving thousands of lives.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop|Michael Daly|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We thanked them on stage for saving our asses and supporting indie music.
How Much Money Does a Band Really Make on Tour?|Jack Conte|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their last hope for saving humanity, Eugene, turned out to be a liar with no idea how to stop the zombie virus.
‘Walking Dead’ Showrunner Scott Gimple Teases ‘Darker, Weirder’ Times Ahead|Melissa Leon|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Seat belt use alone is credited with saving 300,000 lives over the past forty years.
Heed the Warnings: Why We’re on the Brink of Mass Extinction|Sean B. Carroll|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had everything to gain by saving it as a basis of operations for his army.
The Thirty Years' War|Samuel Rawson Gardiner
A stone wall,—all the fugitives cleared it saving the last, behind whom was strapped a young man, fast prisoner.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
Joe, I dont know that theres the slightest hope of saving the mare, but Id like to bring her home and try.
Ainslee's, Vol. 15, No. 6, July 1905|Various
He said the Yankees were on the creek about three miles below my house, and he was saving his pony.
Two Wars: An Autobiography of General Samuel G. French|Samuel Gibbs French
He wants to thank you, if he has strength to do it, for saving him from the death which seemed inevitable.
A Mortal Antipathy|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

British Dictionary definitions for saving (1 of 3)

saving

/ (ˈseɪvɪŋ) /

adjective

tending to save or preserve

redeeming or compensating (esp in the phrase saving grace)

thrifty or economical

law denoting or relating to an exception or reservationa saving clause in an agreement

noun

preservation or redemption, esp from loss or danger

economy or avoidance of waste

reduction in cost or expenditurea saving of 100 dollars

anything saved

(plural) money saved for future use

law an exception or reservation

preposition

with the exception of

conjunction

except

Derived Forms

savingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for saving (2 of 3)

save

/ (seɪv) /

verb

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

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

(tr) to deliver from sin; redeem

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

(tr) to treat with care so as to avoid or lessen wear or degenerationuse a good light to save your eyes

(tr) to prevent the necessity for; obviate the trouble ofgood work now will save future revision

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

(intr) mainly US (of food) to admit of preservation; keep

noun

sport the act of saving a goal

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

Derived Forms

savable or saveable, adjectivesavableness or saveableness, nounsaver, noun

Word Origin for save

C13: from Old French salver, via Late Latin from Latin salvus safe

British Dictionary definitions for saving (3 of 3)

save

/ (seɪv) archaic, or literary /

preposition

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

conjunction

but; except

Word Origin for save

C13 sauf, from Old French, from Latin salvō, from salvus safe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with saving

save

In addition to the idioms beginning with save

saved by the bell
save face
save for a rainy day
save one's bacon
save one's breath
save the day
save up

also see:

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