saving

American  

[sey-ving] / ˈseɪ vɪŋ /

adjective

1. tending or serving to save; rescuing; preserving.

2. compensating; redeeming.

   a saving sense of humor.

   Synonyms:

   redemptory

3. thrifty; economical.

   a saving housekeeper.

4. making a reservation.

   a saving clause.

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noun

1. a reduction or lessening of expenditure or outlay.

   a saving of 10 percent.

2. something that is saved.

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

4. Law. a reservation or exception.

preposition

1. except.

   Nothing remains saving these ruins.

2. with all due respect to or for.

   saving your presence.

conjunction

1. except; save.

saving British  

/ ˈseɪvɪŋ /

adjective

1. tending to save or preserve

2. redeeming or compensating (esp in the phrase saving grace )

3. thrifty or economical

4. law denoting or relating to an exception or reservation

   a saving clause in an agreement

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noun

1. preservation or redemption, esp from loss or danger

2. economy or avoidance of waste

3. reduction in cost or expenditure

   a saving of 100 dollars

4. anything saved

5. (plural) money saved for future use

6. law an exception or reservation

preposition

1. with the exception of

conjunction

1. except

Other Word Forms

• nonsaving
  adjective
• savingly
  adverb
• unsaving
  adjective
• unsavingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of saving

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at save ¹, -ing ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

“We’re saving months, maybe years just because of that relationship alone.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

“By stripping out the ability to personalize or target them, you’re not really saving discounts at all,” Drew Ambrogi, a policy manager at Chamber of Progress, said in an interview with Salon.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

With his sights on sunny Australia, he spent the next seven months saving about £11,000 by working as a ground work labourer.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

The oil market’s saving grace was the remarkable surplus it carried into the conflict, which cushioned the blow far better than analysts predicted when the Strait of Hormuz first closed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Anya watched Yedsha continue to receive praise for saving the priest, and she followed her mother back to the onion booth with a scowl.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

• preserving