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

Rather than save the big reveal to Jon for the middle of the season, the GoT showrunners plugged it right in at the end of the episode. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Jon Snow Learns His True Identity in Game of Thrones the Season 8 Premiere," 15 Apr. 2019 Earning saves so far for Seattle have been Roenis Elias, Strickland and Anthony Swarzak with two each, and Sadzeck, Chasen Bradford and Nick Rumbelow with one each. — Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times, "It’s not just the bats — the Mariners bullpen is also setting MLB records," 13 Apr. 2019 Its ingredients have natural protectants that save your hair from sun damage. — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "10 Ways Coconut Oil Can Give You the Best-Looking Hair of Your Life," 12 Apr. 2019 Many lots are barren, save for concrete slabs where houses once stood. — Arian Campo-flores, WSJ, "Flattened by Hurricane Michael, Florida Town Tries to Stave Off Big Development," 3 Apr. 2019 On it, Smith appears as a sort of New Wave Baudelaire, silhouetted and alone save for his guitar. — Vogue, "“Friday I’m in Love”—A Valentine to Robert Smith as the Cure Is Inducted Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame," 29 Mar. 2019 The crew dragon won't be transporting any passengers—save for a dummy outfitted in astronaut gear named Ripley—but will contain 450 pounds of cargo meant for undertaking tests. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "SpaceX Is Conducting Its First Passenger-Ready Launch on Saturday," 1 Mar. 2019 Unlike other thrillers that ultimately reveal their frightening villains after endless teasing (Signs comes to mind as a prime example), Bird Box keeps its audience in the literal dark, save for a handful of demonic drawings in one scene. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Netflix's "Bird Box" Sculptor Reveals a Design for the Film's Unseen Monsters," 6 Jan. 2019 Its blue fills up the entirety of the high-rise buildings, save for the vertical pattern of the windows. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Behold, Hokusai’s famous wave print stretching across six buildings," 18 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Hughes is 2-2 with a 1.27 ERA, five saves and a 1.031 WHIP. — John Fay, Cincinnati.com, "Jared Hughes is piling up innings for the Cincinnati Reds — and he's happy about it," 30 June 2018 The artist known as The Flippist also made a similar flipbook video of goalie Braden Holtby’s spectacular save from Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. — Michelle R. Martinelli, For The Win, "From WWE title belts to Stanley Cup replicas: How fans are celebrating the Capitals," 12 June 2018 The 33-year-old Holland had 40-save seasons with Kansas City in 2013-14 and returned from Tommy John surgery to lead the NL with 41 saves for Colorado in 2017. — Jack Magruder, The Seattle Times, "Greg Holland to close for Diamondbacks," 25 Mar. 2019 Players were happy leaving on a jet plane because of an offensive outburst and 29 saves from backup goaltender Pheonix Copley, who was making his second start in three games. — Stephen Whyno, The Seattle Times, "Red-hot Kuznetsov has 4 points, Capitals beat Kings 6-4," 11 Feb. 2019 Brazil started on the front foot straight after the restart and Guillermo Ochoa was forced into an early save when Philippe Coutinho fired a powerful right-footed effort towards goal. — Ben Carter, Pro Soccer USA, "Brazil 2-0 Mexico: Neymar strike sends Seleção through, spirited El Tri dumped from World Cup," 2 July 2018 The clock had just hit two minutes remaining in the third period when goaltender Holtby produced an extraordinary save to deny Alex Tuch from pulling the Vegas Golden Knights level in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Braden Holtby's sensational save preserves Capitals win in Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final," 30 May 2018 For the second time in four days, Hader notched an old-school save by covering the final two innings. — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "One big swing is all the Brewers needed, thanks to a dominant pitching performance," 17 Apr. 2018 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition

Juve did their utmost to turn the tide, and Handanovic had to make a smart low save against Costa and a brilliant stop from substitute Paulo Dybala's fine free kick. — SI.com, "Juventus Comes Back From 2-1 Deficit to Beat 10-Man Inter," 28 Apr. 2018 Never include the gift registry on the wedding save the date or invitation. — Myka Meier, Harper's BAZAAR, "All Your Wedding Etiquette Questions Asked & Answered," 31 Oct. 2018 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

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.