What does "salvage" mean?
The rescue of a ship, its crew and passengers or its cargo from a hazardous situation.
Salvage
/ˈsælvɪd͡ʒ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The rescue of a ship, its crew and passengers or its cargo from a hazardous situation.
- Grammar: salvage is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abatement, admission, admission fee, agio.
- Useful contrasts: devastating, abandon, acquisition cost.
- Usage evidence: Derrick dropped his drawing in the tub and is now trying to salvage it with a hair dryer.
How to use "salvage"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "salvage" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "salvage" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "salvage" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "salvage" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "salvage" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abatement" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "salvage", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The rescue of a ship, its crew and passengers or its cargo from a hazardous situation. countable, uncountable
- 2 Obsolete spelling of savage. alt-of, obsolete
"Cornels, and ſalvage Berries of the Wood, / And Roots and Herbs have been my meagre Food."
- 3 Summary execution, extrajudicial killing. Philippines
- 4 the act of rescuing a ship or its crew or its cargo from a shipwreck or a fire wordnet
- 5 The ship, crew or cargo so rescued. countable, uncountable
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 the act of saving goods or property that were in danger of damage or destruction wordnet
- 7 The compensation paid to the rescuers. countable, uncountable
- 8 property or goods saved from damage or destruction wordnet
- 9 The money from the sale of rescued goods. countable, uncountable
- 10 The similar rescue of property liable to loss; the property so rescued. countable, uncountable
"[...] the debris was hurled down the hillside on to the line and swept the engine off the track and into the sea; the engine in question, ex-Cambrian 0-6-0 No. 874, was not considered to be worth salvage, and was abandoned."
- 11 The process of acquiring, dismantling, and stocking the pieces of old property such as ships, houses, and vehicles, so that they can be sold on to be reused or recycled. countable, uncountable
- 12 Anything put to good use that would otherwise have been wasted, such as damaged goods. attributive, countable, sometimes, uncountable
"salvage cars auction"
Verb
- 1 To rescue. transitive
"Robin van Persie looked to have secured the points for the Gunners with a fine goal from Theo Walcott's through ball. But Perisic dipped a sublime 20-yard shot home to salvage a draw."
- 2 To perform summary execution. Philippines
- 3 collect discarded material wordnet
- 4 To modify (a false proposition) to create a true proposition. transitive
"Prove or disprove, and salvage if possible."
- 5 To apprehend and execute (a suspected criminal) without trial. Philippines
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 save from ruin, destruction, or harm wordnet
- 7 To put to use. transitive
"During the war, but unrecorded because of the requirements of censorship, a link with the now partly-abandoned Cardiff Railway disappeared with the demolition of Rhydyfelin Viaduct, near Treforest, South Wales, in the latter part of 1942. The steelwork in this structure, amounting to nearly 1,150 tons, was salvaged as scrap metal to assist the war effort."
- 8 To make new or restore for the use of being saved. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A town in Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Antonyms
Example
"Derrick dropped his drawing in the tub and is now trying to salvage it with a hair dryer."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "salvage"?
Common synonyms include: abatement, admission, admission fee, agio, allowance, amends.
How do you use "salvage" in a sentence?
Derrick dropped his drawing in the tub and is now trying to salvage it with a hair dryer.
How do you pronounce "salvage"?
Pronounced /ˈsælvɪd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Old French salver (see also save, from a variant form), from Late Latin salvare (“to make safe, secure, save”), from Latin salvus (“safe”) with the English suffix -age.
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Etymology 3
Borrowed from Spanish salvaje, from Catalan salvatge, from Late Latin *salvāticus, alteration of Latin silvāticus (“wild”, literally “of the woods”). Confused false friends; English salvage and Tagalog salbahe (“mischievous, naughty”).
Etymology 4
Derived from Spanish salvaje (“savage, uncivilised”). The name likely derives from an encounter between the Spanish and the local indigenous population.