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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

She said she tries to batch cook to save money and eat the same meals as her son.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Or it might be the thing that gets a couple through a no-takeout month while they save for their wedding without making every Wednesday night feel like financial punishment.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

In the late 2010s, he went through a hard divorce, lost the little he had managed to save, and found himself living in his car.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

In every one of those years, save for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, they have won at least 90 games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Of course, she would have tried to save Mam.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

"My personal concern is about the need for affordable social housing for young people and preserving the heritage, the special character, of the area," said Susanna Kow, a member of the Save Brick Lane campaign.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Appeared in the September 3, 2026, print edition as 'How a Quest to Save Galliano’s Legacy Failed'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The relaxed rules on uniform branding mean parents can purchase more items from supermarkets and charity shops, said Save the Children's Meek-O'Connor.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Testing by campaign group Save the River Tywi showed evidence of industrial, agricultural and human waste pollution, with fishers saying they often see dead fish bobbing up and down in the water.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Team Tech Wizards had thought of an app that taught different dance moves, while Team Girls Save the World had created a save-the-sea-turtles game.

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

In theory at least, this saves people time and organizes their lives with less effort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

He made saves but also kept clean sheets, 14 of them in total, and earned the second-most points for a goalkeeper behind City's Joe Hart, who started the game £3m more expensive.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Killing the penny saves about $56 million a year.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

But goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski made the two goals stand up, making six saves before giving up New England’s only goal on Carles Gil’s penalty kick six minutes into second-half stoppage time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Lourdes saves the pecan sticky buns for last.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

He has over 14,000 denim items, some of which he saved from dumpsters, others were donated, and some are his own unwashed pairs of raw denim jeans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

After 35 years in the corporate grind, we’ll have substantial retirement savings; we’ve always saved carefully; and we have no debt or mortgage.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Because propellant is the spacecraft's main consumable resource, every kilogram saved during its journey can potentially translate into additional years of scientific observations.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

"He made a decision that day he was going to prioritise something else other than sport, and that's what saved my life."

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Renn sat some way off, trimming the flights on her arrows, and Wolf lay between them licking his paws clean, having swiftly dispatched the joint of grouse that Torak had saved for him.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

That was followed by what former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke called the “global saving glut” in the early 2000s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

They say they want to help first-time buyers get on the housing ladder as property prices continue to rise and while saving for a deposit remains a struggle.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

The pitch from Chait and Bravo-Karimi is that district downsizing is about making academic programs stronger rather than saving money.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

In addition to pouring money into his business, he’s making sure to put away enough funds for retirement, and he’s saving on housing costs by living with his parents.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

Finally, Caterpillar was going to do something for herself, instead of saving the day for someone else.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Related Words

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