savor

American  

[sey-ver] / ˈseɪ vər /

especially British, savour

noun

1. the quality in a substance that affects the sense of taste or of smell.

   Synonyms:

   fragrance, scent, odor, smack, relish

2. a particular taste or smell.

3. distinctive quality or property.

4. power to excite or interest.

5. Archaic. repute.

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verb (used without object)

• savors,
  present (3rd person singular)
• savored,
  past participle,  past
• savoring
  present participle

1. to have savor, taste, or odor.

2. to exhibit the peculiar characteristics; smack (often followed byof ).

   His business practices savor of greed.

verb (used with object)

• savors,
  present (3rd person singular)
• savored,
  past participle,  past
• savoring
  present participle

1. to give a savor to; season; flavor.

2. to perceive by taste or smell, especially with relish.

   to savor the garden's odors.

3. to give oneself to the enjoyment of.

   to savor the best in life.

Spelling

See -or ¹.

Synonym Usage

See taste.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• savorer
  noun
• outsavor
  verb (used with object)
• savorless
  adjective
• savorous
  adjective
• unsavored
  adjective
• savoringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• savoring
  present
• savored
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• savor
  simple
• savors
  simple
• have savored
  perfect
• has savored
  perfect
• am savoring
  progressive
• are savoring
  progressive
• is savoring
  progressive
• have been savoring
  perfect progressive
• has been savoring
  perfect progressive

Past

• savored
  simple
• had savored
  perfect
• was savoring
  progressive
• were savoring
  progressive
• had been savoring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will savor
  simple
• will have savored
  perfect
• will be savoring
  progressive
• will have been savoring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of savor

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English sav(o)ur, from Old French savour, from Latin sapōrem, accusative of sapor “taste,” derivative of sapere “to taste” ( cf. sapient); (verb) Middle English sav(o)uren, from Old French savourer, from Late Latin sapōrāre, derivative of sapor

Explanation

Whether it’s a feeling of joy or a piece of pecan pie — when you savor something, you enjoy it to the fullest. When you savor something, you enjoy it so much that you want to make it last forever. With that in mind, savor carries a connotation of doing something slowly. If you savor that flourless chocolate tart, then you eat it slowly, bit by bit, deliberately picking every last crumb off the plate. The word is often applied to eating, but you can savor any pleasurable experience, whether it’s the winning touchdown or your moment in the spotlight.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

savor savors savored savoring

Yes, you still may savor the glory of a great player wearing your colors, but there’s a good chance they’ll be packing up shop by the time they’re 25.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

On that note, Mack has made it a point to savor every moment of training camp.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

Parents and teachers tried to savor the “lasts”: the last back-to-school night, with Pacific Island dancers on a tapa cloth mat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

He seemed to savor the chance to go deeper, to look more closely at our innate capacity for acts both moral and depraved.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

He rolled the window down and waited, trying to enjoy the rich smell of baking bread but too nervous to really savor it.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Despite his neurological torments, he savors the wonderful things that have happened to him and the career he has enjoyed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

Deborah drags a finger through the cream cheese frosting and savors the sweet paradise flavor that is celebrity-anointed success.

From Salon ● May 7, 2024

She savors small pleasures, personal connections and casual revelations, with a touch of new-age mysticism.

From New York Times ● Mar. 14, 2024

If you’re a boat person who savors the faint scent of diesel, however, you’ll want to book Walter’s Room, a small bedroom and sitting room in the fog signal building.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2024

Gogol savors each mouthful, aware that for the next eight months nothing will taste quite the same.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Take a sip: Martinis are savored for their elegant simplicity and refined romanticism.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026

Trout savored every moment with friends and family, including his two sons, in the festivities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

No one needed to be a senator like Graham, who suddenly died over the weekend, and no one savored it more.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

But on birthdays, especially at Olive Garden, the calories didn’t count, and the extra Andes Mint I passed her — because I didn’t care for chocolate in my youth — could be savored.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026

With a deft twist of the ulo, she cut off a slice and savored each bite of this, the most nourishing part of the animal.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

Lowden talked to The Envelope about savoring “Slow Horses’” brusque humor, keeping his character on the move and acting opposite master thespians who know how to go deep at the drop of a hat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

To celebrate, we compiled our top five tomato-filled recipes that are worth savoring this season.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2026

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Tehran will soon be savoring a tasty TACO-fest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

“I feel like I’m on a crime vacation,” said John DePetro, a true-crime content creator and Rhode Island native, savoring the desert climate.

From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026

Tyrion was underfoot amidships, so he climbed the forecastle and hunkered down, savoring the lash of cold rain on his cheeks.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• appreciate
• luxuriate in
• relish
• revel in
• sip
• smell
• taste