1
: an unctuous adhesive substance for application to wounds or sores
2
: a remedial or soothing influence or agency
a salve to their hurt feelings
salved; salving
1
: to remedy (something, such as disease) with or as if with a salve
Examples of salve in a Sentence
Verb (1)
attempting to salve her conscience, she anonymously sent the store a sum of cash sufficient to cover the merchandise she had shoplifted
Recent Examples on the Web
Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Centuries before the internal combustion engine was invented, traveler Marco Polo wrote that Azerbaijan’s oil was good for burning as well as for applying as a salve for itches.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Part of what can be confounding about grief is that what salves one person does the opposite for another.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for salve
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Noun
The Gold Cup was meant to be a potential salve to the culture within the team, and the faith of the fanbase around it.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Centuries before the internal combustion engine was invented, traveler Marco Polo wrote that Azerbaijan’s oil was good for burning as well as for applying as a salve for itches.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Verb
Decades later, Reagan, a Republican, offered neoliberalism to salve the stagflation of the 1970s.
—Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Part of what can be confounding about grief is that what salves one person does the opposite for another.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for salve
Cite this Entry
“Salve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salve. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
salve
1 of 2 noun
ˈsav 
ˈsȧv
: a healing ointment
salve
2 of 2 verb
salved; salving
: to ease or soothe with or as if with a salve
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