saving

American  

[sey-ving] / ˈseɪ vɪŋ /

adjective

1. tending or serving to save; rescuing; preserving.

2. compensating; redeeming.

   a saving sense of humor.

   Synonyms:

   redemptory

3. thrifty; economical.

   a saving housekeeper.

4. making a reservation.

   a saving clause.

---

noun

1. a reduction or lessening of expenditure or outlay.

   a saving of 10 percent.

2. something that is saved. save.

3. savings, sums of money saved save by economy and laid away.

4. Law. a reservation or exception.

preposition

1. except.

   Nothing remains saving these ruins.

2. with all due respect to or for.

   saving your presence.

conjunction

1. except; save.

saving British  

/ ˈseɪvɪŋ /

adjective

1. tending to save or preserve

2. redeeming or compensating (esp in the phrase saving grace )

3. thrifty or economical

4. law denoting or relating to an exception or reservation

   a saving clause in an agreement

---

noun

1. preservation or redemption, esp from loss or danger

2. economy or avoidance of waste

3. reduction in cost or expenditure

   a saving of 100 dollars

4. anything saved

5. (plural) money saved for future use

6. law an exception or reservation

preposition

1. with the exception of

conjunction

1. except

Other Word Forms

• nonsaving adjective
• savingly adverb
• unsaving adjective
• unsavingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of saving

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; save ¹, -ing ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

If a person has a hard time cancelling a subscription, they form a negative association with the process, not a positive mentality about the prospect of saving money.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

For many parents, saving at these rates for two decades may be challenging if they have one child, and close to impossible if they have more than one.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Several countries -- including top World Bank borrowers Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh -- have implemented widespread fuel-saving measures to address the crisis, saving what they have for use in key industries and sectors.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Instead, households are saving less and borrowing more just to keep up their usual spending.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Aside from the one I was saving, every chair was full.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• preserving