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

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 For areas that are in really bad shape, stripping off the paint might save you some time over sanding. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Safely Remove Paint," 25 Jan. 2019 Of course, if the monster was real, grabbing bae's hand wouldn't save you, but that doesn't make the act trivial. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Why Do Couples Hold Hands?," 4 Jan. 2019 Globally, becoming more sustainable would save $26 trillion by 2030, economists reported in September. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "7 bad science and health ideas that should die with 2018," 26 Dec. 2018 Cute hairstyles can save the day. Plucked the heck out of your eyebrows back in middle school? — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Rihanna Reportedly Has a Lookalike to Try Eyebrow Styles for Her," 9 Dec. 2018 Thursdays Getting married on a weekday can save a couple a lot of money by avoiding peak prices. — Charlotte Chilton, Town & Country, "The Best and Worst Wedding Dates for 2019," 29 Nov. 2018 If all went according to plan, in a few decades, Arsyen would save enough money to raise an army and reverse the unfortunate circumstances that had driven him from his country. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Google’s former PR boss Jessica Powell wrote a satirical novel about tech and published it all on Medium," 2 Oct. 2018 In Las Vegas, city officials are holding more than 50 jobs open to save $6.4 million, out of concerns that the next downturn would only mean cutting those positions. — Jon Kamp, WSJ, "Los Angeles and Other Cities Stash Money to Prepare for a Recession," 24 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

His 10 saves in the month of August led all of MLB. — Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times, "Edwin Diaz wins yet another American League reliever of the month award," 4 Sep. 2018 Chapman, who struck out the side in an overpowering ninth-inning Monday night, fanned Freddie Freeman and Markakis and got Kurt Suzuki to fly out to earn his 24th save in 25 opportunities. — Wallace Matthews, New York Times, "Yankees Display Their Flaws, but Still Beat the Braves," 3 July 2018 Goalie Jimmy Howard nearly made the save sliding from right to left, but the puck made it through. — Noah Trister, The Seattle Times, "Capitals rally in third to edge Red Wings 3-2," 6 Jan. 2019 After allowing a run in the eighth, Kimbrel returned to complete the first six-out save of his career. — Brian Costa, WSJ, "Jackie Bradley Jr. Lifts the Red Sox to the Brink of a Pennant," 18 Oct. 2018 Joe Jiménez, who will handle the closer's role with Shane Greene on the disabled list (right shoulder strain), was brought in instead and blew the save. — George Sipple, Detroit Free Press, "Why Detroit Tigers' Mike Fiers didn't pitch 9th despite dominating," 2 July 2018 But in the 9th inning that night Lowe blew the save. — BostonGlobe.com, "Life in the bleachers at Fenway Park," 26 June 2018 Goalkeeper Ben Willis had eight saves for the Zags. — Seattle Times Staff, The Seattle Times, "Scott Menzies and Kyle Coffee score again as Washington posts a 2-0 soccer victory," 27 Aug. 2018 The new plans are nearly identical save for the size of the land involved is 7.2 acres and the apartment building would hold 266 units. — Jeanne Houck, Cincinnati.com, "Developer seeks flexibility for $90 million Kenwood plan," 20 June 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.