Word.ws English Dictionary

saving

Syllables: sa·vingUK/ˈseɪ.vɪŋ/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/ˈsæɪ.vɪŋ/

saving noun: a reduction in cost or expenditure. Also the present participle and gerund of save.

Noun

saving (countable and uncountable, plural savings)

  1. A reduction in cost or expenditure.
    • The shift of the supplier gave us a saving of 10 percent.
    • This new yard will replace a group of out-of-date yards, and there will be an estimated net saving of £150,000 a year.1954 August, “Marshalling Yard Reorganisation, Eastern Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 570
  2. (countable, plural-normally) Something (usually money) that is saved, particularly money that has been set aside for the future.
    • 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.
  3. (uncountable) The action of the verb to save.
  4. (obsolete) Exception; reservation.
    • saving and transitional provisions
    • Tis Good Advice not to Contend with Thoſe that are too Strong for us, but ſtill with a ſaving to Honeſty and Juſtice, for the Integrity of the Mind must be ſupported againſt All Violence and Hazzards whatſoever.1692, Roger L’Estrange, “[The Fables of Abstemius, &c.] Fab[le] CCLVIII. A Swallow and a Spider.”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC, page...

Adjective

saving (comparative more saving, superlative most saving)

  1. That saves someone from damnation; redemptive.
  2. Preserving; rescuing.
    • He is the saving strength of his anointed.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 28:8
  3. Thrifty; frugal.
    • Hutchins has been a saving man all his life, and he has received good wages. Among his class he is regarded as wealthy. I daresay that he has five hundred pounds in the bank.1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados
    • Three of her bairns were drowned at sea, fishing off the Bervie braes they had been, but the fourth, the boy Cospatric, him that died the same day as the Old Queen, he was douce and saving and sensible, and set putting the estate to rights.1932, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song (A Scots Quair), Polygon, published 2006, page 14
  4. Bringing back in returns or in receipts the sum expended; incurring no loss, though not gainful.
    • a saving bargain
    • The ship has made a saving voyage.
  5. Making reservation or exception.
    • a saving clause
  6. (in-compounds) Relating to making a saving.
    • labour-saving
    • energy-saving light bulbs

Preposition

saving

  1. Synonym of save (“except for”)
    • And in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 2:17
    Synonyms:
    save
  2. Without disrespect to.
    • I should be ruled by the fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the devil himself.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    • Saving your presence.a. 1796, Robert Burns, The Carle of Kellyburn Braes

Also used as

saving is also the present participle and gerund of save.

saving meaning in Hindi, Telugu, Arabic and Malay

saving in Hindi

something that is saved
बचत bacat

saving in Telugu

action of saving
కాపాడుట kāpāḍuṭa

saving in Arabic

reduction in cost
خَصْم ḵaṣm, حَسْم ḥasm
something that is saved
مُدَخَرَات mudaḵarāt

saving in Malay

something that is saved
tabung
More languagesFewer languages
saving in Indonesian
tabungan

Examples of saving in a sentence

  • This lawyer has no qualms about saving people who are on the wrong side of the law.
  • I pay a portion of each paycheck into a savings account.
  • He counts himself a hero after saving the cat from the river.

All 40 example sentences with saving

Synonyms of saving

Forms of saving

Noun
pluralsavings
Adjective
comparativemore saving
superlativemost saving

Plural of saving: savings

Origin of saving

From save + -ing.

Words formed from saving

Phrases with saving

16 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with saving

Questions about saving

What does saving mean?
Saving means a reduction in cost or expenditure.
What is saving in Hindi?
Saving in Hindi is बचत (bacat). See Saving meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is saving?
Saving can be a noun, an adjective or a preposition.
How do you pronounce saving?
Saving is pronounced /ˈseɪ.vɪŋ/ (UK).
What is the plural of saving?
The plural of saving is savings.

Words near saving in the dictionary

  1. savin'
  2. savinase
  3. savinases
  4. savine
  5. savines
  6. saving
  7. saving appearances
  8. saving as
  9. saving by the bell
  10. saving down
  11. saving face

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: saving (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-saving.ogg.

Cite this entry: “saving.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/saving. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.