What does "save" mean?
An instance of preventing (further) harm or difficulty.
Save
/seɪv/ conj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang
conj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An instance of preventing (further) harm or difficulty.
- Grammar: save is listed as conj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abet, abstain, accumulate, aid.
- Useful contrasts: fine powder use, hot exhaust, lavish.
- Usage evidence: Death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
How to use "save"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "save" 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 "save" 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 "save" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "save" 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 "save" is acting as conj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang 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 "abet" 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 "save", 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 An instance of preventing (further) harm or difficulty.
"As 1942 began, work was now continuing apace on getting the ships back afloat and into dock. The first good news in this regard was West Virginia. Thanks to a combination of Tennessees unintentional save' and the crew's own efforts, she'd settled upright, and so divers estimated that, if the various holes could be patched and pumping done in a sensible order from the top down, she should just rise back up to the surface on an even keel, which, in turn, meant that a lot of the initial work on removing her main battery could now be stopped."
- 2 (sports) the act of preventing the opposition from scoring wordnet
- 3 An instance of preventing (further) harm or difficulty.; In various sports, a block that prevents an opponent from scoring.
"The goaltender made a great save."
- 4 An instance of preventing (further) harm or difficulty.; A successful attempt by a relief pitcher to preserve the win of another pitcher on one's team.
"Jones retired seven to earn the save."
- 5 An instance of preventing (further) harm or difficulty.; A point in a professional wrestling match when one or more wrestlers run to the ring to aid a fellow wrestler who is being beaten. slang
"The giant wrestler continued to beat down his smaller opponent, until several wrestlers ran in for the save."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 An instance of preventing (further) harm or difficulty.; An action that brings one back out of an awkward situation. informal
"Nice save."
- 7 The act, process, or result of saving data to a storage medium.
"If you're hit by a power cut, you'll lose all of your changes since your last save."
- 8 A saving throw.
Verb
- 1 To prevent harm or difficulty.; To help (somebody) to survive, or rescue (somebody or something) from harm. transitive
"She was saved from drowning by a passer-by."
- 2 make unnecessary an expenditure or effort wordnet
- 3 To prevent harm or difficulty.; To keep (something) safe; to safeguard. transitive
"Thou hast[…]quitted all to save / A world from utter loss."
- 4 record data on a computer wordnet
- 5 To prevent harm or difficulty.; To spare (somebody) from effort, or from something undesirable. transitive
"I'll save you / That labour, sir. All's now done."
Show 21 more definitions
- 6 to keep up and reserve for personal or special use wordnet
- 7 To prevent harm or difficulty.; To redeem or protect someone from eternal damnation. transitive
"Jesus Christ came to save sinners."
- 8 accumulate money for future use wordnet
- 9 To prevent harm or difficulty.; To catch or deflect (a shot at goal). transitive
"Chelsea's youngsters, who looked lively throughout, then combined for the second goal in the seventh minute. Romeu's shot was saved by Wolves goalkeeper Dorus de Vries but Piazon kept the ball alive and turned it back for an unmarked Bertrand to blast home."
- 10 spend less; buy at a reduced price wordnet
- 11 To prevent harm or difficulty.; To preserve, as a relief pitcher, (a win of another pitcher's on one's team) by defending the lead held when the other pitcher left the game. transitive
- 12 retain rights to wordnet
- 13 To put aside; to avoid.; To store for future use. transitive
"Let's save the packaging in case we need to send the product back."
- 14 spend sparingly, avoid the waste of wordnet
- 15 To put aside; to avoid.; To conserve or prevent the wasting of. transitive
"Save electricity by turning off the lights when you leave the room."
- 16 refrain from harming wordnet
- 17 To put aside; to avoid.; To obviate or make unnecessary. transitive
"Will you not speak to save a lady's blush?"
- 18 save from ruin, destruction, or harm wordnet
- 19 To put aside; to avoid.; To write a file to disk or other storage medium. intransitive, transitive
"Where did I save that document? I can't find it on the desktop."
- 20 save from sins wordnet
- 21 To put aside; to avoid.; To economize or avoid waste. intransitive
- 22 bring into safety wordnet
- 23 To put aside; to avoid.; To accumulate money or valuables. intransitive, transitive
- 24 To put aside; to avoid.; To make an agreement to give (some amount of money) to a fellow gambler if one wins, and to receive that amount from them if they win, as a form of hedging. archaic, slang, transitive
"to save a fiver"
- 25 To put aside; to avoid.; To refrain from romantic or (especially in later use) sexual relationships until one is married or is with a suitable partner. often, reflexive
"She told me she's saving herself for marriage."
- 26 To put aside; to avoid.; To avoid saying something. informal
"Save your excuses and lies."
Preposition
- 1 Except; with the exception of.
"Under the terms of the Interdict no church services and offices were to be permitted save the baptism of infants and the confession of the dying."
Conjunction
- 1 unless; except
"Only the parties may institute proceedings, save where the law shall provide otherwise."
Proper Noun
- 1 A river in southeastern Africa that flows about 400 km (250 mi) from south of Harare in Zimbabwe, through Mozambique, to the Indian Ocean.
"“I am from the Save River. But I married. To a man from afar, Phiri, from Malawi.”"
- 2 A river in southern France that flows about 143 km (89 mi) from the Pyrenees to the Garonne at Grenade.
Antonyms
Example
"Death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "save"?
Common synonyms include: abet, abstain, accumulate, aid, amass, anticipate.
How do you use "save" in a sentence?
Death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
How do you pronounce "save"?
Pronounced /seɪv/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sl̥h₂-wós Proto-Italic *salawos Latin salvus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin salvō Latin salvāre Old French sauverbor. Middle English saven English save From Middle English saven, sauven, a borrowing from Old French sauver, from Late Latin salvāre (“to save”).