save
verb (used with object)
to rescue from danger or possible harm, injury, or loss.
save
1 American
[seyv]
/ seɪv /
verb (used with object)
-
saves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
saved,
past participle, past
-
saving
present participle
-
to rescue from danger or possible harm, injury, or loss.
to save someone from drowning.
- Synonyms:
- salvage
-
to keep safe, intact, or unhurt; safeguard; preserve.
God save the king.
-
to keep from being lost to an opponent.
A goal in the final minute saved 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 or other data) to a storage medium, as from RAM to a disk.
-
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
noun
-
saves
plural
-
an act or instance of saving, especially in sports.
The goalie guarded the net well and made a crucial save.
-
Baseball. a statistical credit given a relief pitcher for preserving a team's victory by holding its lead in a game.
-
Computers.
-
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.
-
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
conjunction
Save
3
American
[sah-vuh]
/ ˈsɑ və /
noun
save
1
British
/ 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 degeneration
use a good light to save your eyes
-
(tr) to prevent the necessity for; obviate the trouble of
good work now will save future revision
-
(tr) sport to prevent (a goal) by stopping (a struck ball or puck)
-
(intr) (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
save
2
British
/ seɪv /
preposition
conjunction
save
Idioms
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.
- 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.
- 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
-
savablenessnoun
-
saveablenessnoun
-
savernoun
-
savableadjective
-
saveableadjective
-
unsavableadjective
-
unsaveableadjective
-
unsavedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
savesimple
-
savessimple
-
have savedperfect
-
has savedperfect
-
am savingprogressive
-
are savingprogressive
-
is savingprogressive
-
have been savingperfect progressive
-
has been savingperfect progressive
Past
-
savedsimple
-
had savedperfect
-
was savingprogressive
-
were savingprogressive
-
had been savingperfect progressive
Future
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Whenever Cannom was out in public, at events or dinners with his family, it was not unusual for people to thank him for the work he had done to save their loved ones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Most students save more by staying on their parents’ health plan until 26, if eligible, or look into Medicaid or the ACA Marketplace, which brings your friend full circle.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
So these accounts seemed—and often were—a better way to save for retirement than a taxable brokerage account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
"Our study highlights the importance of taking part in colorectal cancer screening, and shows that it can actually save lives."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Lala, you will have to make a choice: save the boy or save the movement.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Save the wolves, shoot the wolves—none of our business.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
“We don’t like the state laws,” said Richard Gallardo, a leader of Save Shasta Elections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Appeared in the August 10, 2026, print edition as 'The FCC Tries to Save Broadcast TV'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
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
I zipped my jacket to my chin and told Belet, "We need to get out of here. Save the you-know-what."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
The charity also pointed out that preventing homelessness saves money.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Using less memory saves computing power and money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
He isn’t perfect, but has 16 saves and was serviceable filling in for Díaz before he was activated off the injured list on July 29.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Joseph Paintsil scored a goal and JT Marcinkowski had five saves for the Galaxy in a 1-1 tie with the San José Earthquakes at Stanford Stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
“They get qualified substitutes, and the school system saves money, since they’re paying us regardless.”
From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine
The data is saved for 30 days and automatically deleted unless it is being used as evidence in an active investigation, according to the department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Harp credits a 2018 bill Trump signed with giving her access to an experimental cancer drug that she says saved her life.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
See: We live on a farm and have $2.2 million saved for retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
People whose lives were saved on 9/11, and the people who saved them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
I took off my parka, ran up the trail, and waved it frantically—a foolish thing to do, yet it saved us.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
In July, Blume presented saving plans to Volkswagen's supervisory board but no decision was taken.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
All-Star closer Edwin Díaz has blown four saves while saving just seven games this season in between stints on the injured list — Tucker and Díaz, insult to injury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
In the UK, from September uniforms are being limited to three items with a school logo, saving parents an estimated £50 per child.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
As much as they enjoy betting on reality TV and Taylor Swift’s wedding, they also want help in saving, spending and investing their money.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
For years, he’d worked for others, saving and saving, hoping to start his own enterprise, and now he’d finally been able to buy into a store.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
