Standard Lemma guide

saving

adj · noun · prep · verb · 17 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, UK, US: /ˈseɪ.vɪŋ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˈsæɪ.vɪŋ/
  • rhymes with -eɪvɪŋ
  • CMU ARPABET: S EY1 V IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

That saves someone from damnation; redemptive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: lifestyle, religion, theology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Preserving; rescuing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Thrifty; frugal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Bringing back in returns or in receipts the sum expended; incurring no loss, though not gainful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a saving bargain
  • The ship has made a saving voyage.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Making reservation or exception.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a saving clause

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Relating to making a saving.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-compounds

Examples

  • labour-saving
  • energy-saving light bulbs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A reduction in cost or expenditure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The shift of the supplier gave us a saving of 10 percent.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

Something (usually money) that is saved, particularly money that has been set aside for the future.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, plural-normally

Examples

  • I invested all my savings in gold.
  • The collapse of Enron wiped out the life savings of many people, leaving them poor in their retirement.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

The action of the verb to save.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

Exception; reservation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

Topics: law

Examples

  • saving and transitional provisions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

prep

Meaning 11

Synonym of save (“except for”)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: save

Antonyms: none provided

12

prep

Meaning 12

Without disrespect to.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

verb

Meaning 13

present participle and gerund of save

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

adjective satellite

Meaning 14

characterized by thriftiness- Ellen Glasgow

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • wealthy by inheritance but saving by constitution

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

recovery or preservation from loss or danger

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • work is the deliverance of mankind
  • a surgeon's job is the saving of lives

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rescue, deliverance, delivery

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: recovery, retrieval

Narrower terms: lifesaving, redemption, salvation, reclamation, reformation, salvage, search and rescue mission

16

noun

Meaning 16

an act of economizing; reduction in cost

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it was a small economy to walk to work every day
  • there was a saving of 50 cents

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: economy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: action

Narrower terms: retrenchment, curtailment, downsizing, economy of scale

17

noun

Meaning 17

the activity of protecting something from loss or danger

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: preservation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: protection

Narrower terms: environmentalism, conservation, self-preservation, reservation, immobilization, immobilisation

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *solh2- Proto-Indo-European *-wós 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-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin salvō Latin salvāre Old French sauverbor. Middle English saven English save English -ing English saving From save + -ing.

Across languages

Translations

93 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: пестящ (pestjašt) — in compound adjectives: relating to making a saving
  • Hungarian: -takarékos — in compound adjectives: relating to making a saving
  • Hungarian: -kímélő — in compound adjectives: relating to making a saving
  • Hungarian: spóroló — in compound adjectives: relating to making a saving
  • Hungarian: megtakarító — in compound adjectives: relating to making a saving
  • Spanish: salvador — in compound adjectives: relating to making a saving
  • Spanish: salvante — in compound adjectives: relating to making a saving
  • Arabic: خَصْم (ḵaṣm) — reduction in cost
  • Arabic: حَسْم (ḥasm) — reduction in cost
  • Azerbaijani: qənaət — reduction in cost
  • Belarusian: экано́мія (ekanómija) — reduction in cost
  • Bulgarian: спестя́ване (spestjávane) — reduction in cost
  • Bulgarian: иконо́мия (ikonómija) — reduction in cost
  • Catalan: estalvi — reduction in cost
  • Chinese Mandarin: 節約 /节约 (jiéyuē) — reduction in cost
  • Danish: besparelse — reduction in cost
  • Finnish: säästö — reduction in cost
  • French: économie — reduction in cost
  • Hungarian: takarékosság — reduction in cost
  • Hungarian: kímélés — reduction in cost
  • Japanese: 節約 (setsuyaku) — reduction in cost
  • Korean: 절약 (jeoryak) — reduction in cost
  • Norwegian Bokmål: besparelse — reduction in cost
  • Norwegian Bokmål: økonomisering — reduction in cost
  • Occitan: estalvi — reduction in cost
  • Romanian: economie — reduction in cost
  • Russian: эконо́мия (ekonómija) — reduction in cost
  • Spanish: ahorro — reduction in cost
  • Ukrainian: еконо́мія (ekonómija) — reduction in cost
  • Afrikaans: spaargeld — something that is saved
  • Arabic: مُدَخَرَات (mudaḵarāt) — something that is saved
  • Azerbaijani: yığım — something that is saved
  • Azerbaijani: yatır — something that is saved
  • Belarusian: зберажэ́нні (zbjeražénni) — something that is saved
  • Bulgarian: спестя́ване (spestjávane) — something that is saved
  • Catalan: estalvi — something that is saved
  • Chinese Mandarin: 儲蓄 /储蓄 (chǔxù) — something that is saved
  • Czech: úspory — something that is saved
  • Danish: sparepenge — something that is saved
  • Dutch: spaargeld — something that is saved
  • Finnish: säästöt — something that is saved
  • French: économie — something that is saved
  • French: épargne — something that is saved
  • German: Ersparnisse — something that is saved
  • Greek: αποταμιεύσεις (apotamiéfseis) — something that is saved
  • Hindi: बचत (bacat) — something that is saved
  • Hungarian: megtakarítás — something that is saved
  • Indonesian: tabungan — something that is saved
  • Japanese: 貯蓄 (chochiku) — something that is saved
  • Japanese: 貯金 (chokin) — something that is saved
  • Korean: 저축 (jeochuk) — something that is saved
  • Korean: 저금 (jeogeum) — something that is saved
  • Malay: tabung — something that is saved
  • Māori: pūtea penapena — something that is saved
  • Mongolian: хуримтлал (xurimtlal) — something that is saved
  • Mongolian: хадгаламж (xadgalamž) — something that is saved
  • Mongolian: ᠬᠤᠷᠠᠮᠲᠤᠯᠠᠯ (quramtulal) — something that is saved
  • Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠳᠠᠭᠠᠯᠠᠮᠵᠢ (qadaɣalamǰi) — something that is saved
  • Occitan: estalvi — something that is saved
  • Portuguese: poupança — something that is saved
  • Portuguese: economias — something that is saved
  • Romanian: economii — something that is saved
  • Russian: сбереже́ния (sberežénija) — something that is saved
  • Russian: накопле́ния (nakoplénija) — something that is saved
  • Spanish: ahorros — something that is saved
  • Spanish: economías — something that is saved
  • Spanish: burrucha — something that is saved
  • Spanish: hucha — something that is saved
  • Swahili: akiba — something that is saved
  • Ottoman Turkish: اداره (idâre) — something that is saved
  • Ukrainian: заоща́дження (zaoščádžennja) — something that is saved
  • Ukrainian: збере́ження (zberéžennja) — something that is saved
  • Volapük: spälot — something that is saved
  • Volapük: spälamon — something that is saved
  • Azerbaijani: qənaət — action of saving
  • Belarusian: экано́мія (ekanómija) — action of saving
  • Belarusian: ашча́днасць (aščádnascʹ) — action of saving
  • Belarusian: ашча́длівасць (aščádlivascʹ) — action of saving
  • Belarusian: беражлі́васць (bjeražlívascʹ) — action of saving
  • Bulgarian: спестяване (spestjavane) — action of saving
  • Finnish: säästäminen — action of saving
  • Hungarian: mentés — action of saving
  • Hungarian: megmentés — action of saving
  • Polish: oszczędność — action of saving
  • Romanian: economisire — action of saving
  • Russian: эконо́мия (ekonómija) — action of saving
  • Russian: бережли́вость (berežlívostʹ) — action of saving
  • Telugu: కాపాడుట (kāpāḍuṭa) — action of saving
  • Ottoman Turkish: نجات (necât) — action of saving
  • Ukrainian: оща́дність (oščádnistʹ) — action of saving
  • Ukrainian: оща́дливість (oščádlyvistʹ) — action of saving
  • Ukrainian: бережли́вість (berežlývistʹ) — action of saving
  • Ukrainian: еконо́мія (ekonómija) — action of saving
Real reading context

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