save

verb

\ ˈsāv

saved; saving

Definition of save

(Entry 1 of 4)

transitive verb

1a : to deliver from sin

b : to rescue or deliver from danger or harm

c : to preserve or guard from injury, destruction, or loss

d : to store (data) in a computer or on a storage device (such as a CD or flash drive) save a file Remember to save your work frequently.

2a : to put aside as a store or reserve : accumulate saving money for emergencies

b : to spend less by save 25 percent

3a : to make unnecessary : avoid it saves an hour's driving

b(1) : to keep from being lost to an opponent

(2) : to prevent an opponent from scoring or winning

4 : maintain, preserve save appearances

intransitive verb

1 : to rescue or deliver someone

2a : to put aside money

b : to avoid unnecessary waste or expense : economize

c : to spend less money

3 : to make a save

save

noun

Definition of save (Entry 2 of 4)

1 : a play that prevents an opponent from scoring or winning

2 : the action of a relief pitcher in baseball in successfully protecting a team's lead also : official credit for a save

save

preposition

Definition of save (Entry 3 of 4)

: other than : but, except no hope save one

save

conjunction

Definition of save (Entry 4 of 4)

1 : except for the fact that : only —used with that of his earlier years little is known, save that he studied violin— J. N. Burk

2 : but, except —used before a word often taken to be the subject of a clause no one knows about it save she

Other Words from save Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about save

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Choose the Right Synonym for save

Verb

rescue, deliver, redeem, ransom, reclaim, save mean to set free from confinement or danger. rescue implies freeing from imminent danger by prompt or vigorous action. rescued the crew of a sinking ship deliver implies release usually of a person from confinement, temptation, slavery, or suffering. delivered his people from bondage redeem implies releasing from bondage or penalties by giving what is demanded or necessary. job training designed to redeem school dropouts from chronic unemployment ransom specifically applies to buying out of captivity. tried to ransom the kidnap victim reclaim suggests a bringing back to a former state or condition of someone or something abandoned or debased. reclaimed long-abandoned farms save may replace any of the foregoing terms; it may further imply a preserving or maintaining for usefulness or continued existence. an operation that saved my life

Examples of save in a Sentence

Verb

He is trying to save his marriage by going to counseling for his drug addiction. She saved a tense situation by staying calm. Thinner computer monitors save space. She would rather save than spend. Save a little money for later. She saves part of her pay every week. I saved $20,000 for a down payment on the house. She saved $15 at the grocery store by using coupons.

Noun

The goalie made a spectacular save. He leads the league in saves.

Preposition

We had no hope save one. everyone save me is going to the party

Conjunction

Little is known about his early years save that he left home when he was very young.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Normally the RokBlok sells for $99 but Popular Mechanics readers can save an additional 15 percent off with promo cod SEMIANNUAL and get it for only $84.15! — Popular Mechanics, "Play Vinyl Records Anywhere with the World's Smallest Wireless Record Player," 1 Mar. 2019 Nicky decides to save himself and jumps into the water just as the boat explodes. — Candice Frederick, Harper's BAZAAR, "This Is Us Reveals the Truth About Nicky," 23 Jan. 2019 In the alternative, save this step for later, before the next use (or before your next dinner party). — Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, "Everything You Need to Know About Caring for Tabletop Accessories," 11 Feb. 2019 At first the DeKalbs rarely see the Harts, save a few chance encounters in their driveway. — Glamour, "Broken Harts, Episode 4: ‘My God, There’s Six of Them’," 31 Dec. 2018 The app will save passwords for you in your browser, and its mobile apps will handle your passwords elsewhere. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "The 9 best apps for your new Windows PC," 27 Dec. 2018 Millie Bobby Brown has already saved the world in Stranger Things and fought back against Godzilla in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Millie Bobby Brown Wants to Be an Extra in the "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" Sequel," 20 Dec. 2018 Something that could have given health organizations a heads-up, allowing them to organize an effective response, contain the disease’s spread, save tens of thousands of lives and prevent an international crisis? — Mallory Locklear, Discover Magazine, "With Big Data and Predictive Analytics, Scientists Are Getting Smarter About Outbreaks," 8 Nov. 2018 Using a food processor is like having your own personal sous chef — owning one will save you from having to do tons of tedious and tiring prep work. — Betty Gold, Good Housekeeping, "The 7 Best Food Processors to Buy, According to Kitchen Appliance Experts," 1 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Binnington made 29 saves to win his ninth straight, extending the longest winning streak in franchise history for a rookie goaltender. — Joe Harris, The Seattle Times, "O’Reilly’s overtime goal lifts Blues past Maple Leafs 3-2," 19 Feb. 2019 Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris didn’t have to work particularly hard to get it though, making just three saves. — Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "France defeats Belgium 1-0 to advance to World Cup final," 10 July 2018 And Russia’s ‘keeper, Akinfeev, also made two saves in Russia’s penalty win over Spain. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "Russia Finally Falls, Leaving a Trail of Admirers and Doubters," 8 July 2018 The UC Irvine signee allowed just 12 goals all season in soccer while making 123 saves with 17 shutouts. — Steve Brand, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Eastlake’s Hinojosa, Mission Hills’ Olave prep Athletes of the Year," 9 June 2018 Its goalkeeper, Tim Melia, made three saves for his seventh shutout of 2018. — Sam Mcdowell, kansascity, "Sporting KC remains atop the West with this unusual endeavor in Portland," 9 June 2018 Allen made six saves on 17 shots in net and Roberts finished the game with nine ground balls. — Joe Burns, courant.com, "Boys Lacrosse: Somers Falls Short In Bid For Third Straight Title," 9 June 2018 Sportiello made six saves and senior Emma Lehnert had Andrew’s lone shot on goal in the 36th minute. — Steve Millar, Daily Southtown, "Michelle Jerantowski goes out in style as Lemont girls soccer takes third in 2A; Andrew finishes fourth in 3A," 3 June 2018 Holtby made 37 saves, Ovechkin scored a power-play goal and Lars Eller added a goal and two assists in the Capitals' 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 on Wednesday night. — Sean Meagher, OregonLive.com, "Washington Capitals even Stanley Cup Final at 1-1 with Game 2 win," 31 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition

Attention to the little things helped transform Holtby into one of the NHL’s sturdiest netminders under Korn, the ‘15-16 Vezina Trophy winner whose .929 career playoff save percentage ranks second all-time among anyone with at least 30 starts. — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "Learning to Deal With the Little Things Has Capitals' Braden Holtby on the Verge of a Stanley Cup," 5 June 2018 All three series ended with stingy defensive performances on the road, anchored by goalie and Conn Smythe favorite Marc-André Fleury (.947 playoff save percentage entering the finals). — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "How the Roster Decisions of Golden Knights GM George McPhee Color the Stanley Cup Final," 28 May 2018 Another long reliever pulled into save duty, Devenski has a pair of saves this week. — Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, "Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Josh Hader, Chris Devenski step up for saves," 20 Apr. 2018 Diaz allowed a pair of singles in his outing, but notched his 42nd save of the season. — Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times, "Mariners improve to 9-1 in extra innings, beating Texas 4-3 on a Ryon Healy hit," 6 Aug. 2018 Doolittle converted 21 of 22 save chances with the Nats and Madson was excellent as a setup man (1.37 ERA, 0.81 WHIP). — Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, "Nationals have a wealth of elite fantasy options," 15 Feb. 2018 Edwin Diaz made the one-run lead hold up with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 21st save of the season. — Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times, "You can’t stop these guys: Red-hot Mariners rally to sweep Rays, now 15 games over .500," 4 June 2018 Saturday marked Andersen’s second 40-plus save performance of the series, the other coming in the Leaf’s 4-2 win in Game 3. — Tyler Horka, SI.com, "Stanley Cup Playoffs Roundup: Toronto Stops Late Surge From Boston to Force Game 6," 21 Apr. 2018 The righty has a 1.38 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 26 innings and has received four of the Astros’ last five save chances, converting them all. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "The Houston Astros Are Only Getting Better," 19 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'save.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.