saving
saving — conjunction
1. used to introduce the only person, thing, or situation that is not included in a
used to introduce the only person, thing, or situation that is not included in a general statement that applies to everything or everyone else.
No one in the class knew the answer, saving Omar, who had studied all night.
saving + noun phrase introducing exception
The library is open to the public every day, saving Sundays and national holidays.
Everyone had left the building, saving an elderly man who was waiting for the lift.
All the seats were taken, saving one small seat near the back door.
saving + noun phrase at end of clause
Grammar Patterns
saving + noun phrase
saving + pronoun
Usage Note
This use of 'saving' as a conjunction is very formal and found mainly in older or literary texts. In modern everyday English, 'except' or 'except that' is far more common.
Common Mistakes
saving — noun
1. money that a person or household has set aside and stored, typically in a bank a
money that a person or household has set aside and stored, typically in a bank account, rather than spending it on day-to-day needs.
Jiwoo used her savings to pay for a year of art classes in Barcelona.
plural 'savings' with possessive + purpose clause
The family's entire savings were wiped out when the bank collapsed.
plural 'savings' as subject, passive voice
Apinya set aside a small part of her savings each month for emergencies.
After working for twelve years, Hassan finally had enough savings to buy a house.
Mei-Lin used her savings to buy a second-hand car after the old one broke down completely.
plural 'savings' for a specific purchase purpose
- life savings
- retirement savings
- savings account
- savings goal
- savings plan
- dip into savings
- use up savings
- debt
money owed, the opposite of money saved
Grammar Patterns
savings + in/at + financial institution
possessive + savings
savings + for + purpose
Usage Note
In this sense, the word is almost always used in the plural form 'savings', even when referring to a single sum of money. 'Saving' in the singular is not used for money in an account.
Common Mistakes
2. the sum of money you keep rather than spend because you paid a lower price than
the sum of money you keep rather than spend because you paid a lower price than usual or consumed fewer resources than planned.
Buying the flight tickets three months early gave Stefan a saving of eighty pounds.
a saving + of + amount
The new heating system produced a significant saving on the school's monthly energy bill.
adjective + saving + on + noun phrase
Christopher compared prices across four websites and found a saving of nearly thirty percent.
Small savings on lunches and bus fares can add up over a year.
plural 'savings' as countable items
The government offered households a tax saving for installing solar panels on their roofs.
- cost saving
- big saving
- huge saving
- significant saving
- tax saving
- energy saving
Grammar Patterns
a saving + of + amount
a saving + on + something
adjective + saving(s)
Usage Note
When the saving is a specific number or percentage, use the pattern 'a saving of + amount'. The plural 'savings' can also refer to multiple individual amounts saved across different items.
Common Mistakes
3. the act of rescuing someone or something from a dangerous situation, or preservi
the act of rescuing someone or something from a dangerous situation, or preserving a thing from being lost, damaged, or destroyed.
The saving of the stranded climbers took three days in freezing weather conditions.
the saving + of + people + circumstances
Firefighters worked through the night for the saving of the old church from the flames.
Historians credit one librarian with the saving of thousands of rare books during the war.
credit [someone] with the saving of [something]
The saving of the drowning child by a neighbour made headlines across the country.
- saving of lives
- saving of the species
- for the saving of
- credit with the saving of
- rescue
more common and less formal; used for people and animals in immediate danger
- preservation
focuses on keeping something in its original state over time
- deliverance
very formal or literary; emphasises being freed from a threat
- loss
the opposite of preservation or rescue
- destruction
the outcome that saving prevents
Grammar Patterns
the saving + of + person/thing
for the saving + of + person/thing
Usage Note
Distinguish from noun sense 1 (MONEY SAVED) and sense 2 (AMOUNT NOT SPENT): this sense is always singular, uncountable, and formal in register. It describes rescue or preservation, not finance.
Common Mistakes
4. the practice of reducing the amount of a resource such as energy, water, or fuel
the practice of reducing the amount of a resource such as energy, water, or fuel that is used or wasted, without reference to a specific monetary sum saved.
Energy saving begins with simple habits like turning off lights when you leave a room.
noun phrase 'energy saving' as subject
The new dishwasher led to significant water saving in the busy restaurant kitchen.
The time saving from the new accounting software let Priya finish her monthly reports in half the usual time.
noun phrase 'time saving' as subject, followed by 'from' + source
The government launched a campaign to promote fuel saving among van and lorry drivers.
- energy saving
- fuel saving
- water saving
- time saving
- labour saving
- cost saving
- space saving
- conservation
broader term for the careful use of resources; more common in environmental contexts
- economizing
focuses on reducing spending rather than resource use
- waste
the opposite of preventing waste; using resources carelessly
Grammar Patterns
noun + saving
energy saving
time saving
cost saving
Usage Note
This sense often appears as the second half of a compound noun (e.g. 'energy saving', 'fuel saving', 'labour saving') where the first noun specifies the resource being conserved. Do not confuse with noun sense 2 (AMOUNT NOT SPENT), which refers to the monetary amount saved rather than the process of conserving.
saving — preposition
1. used before a noun or pronoun to indicate that the person or thing is not includ
used before a noun or pronoun to indicate that the person or thing is not included in the general statement that has been made.
Saving the injured passenger, everyone was able to leave the bus without help.
preposition before noun phrase at start of clause
All the original documents have been preserved, saving one letter from the eighteenth century.
Saving the youngest children, all students were required to attend the morning assembly.
The garden had every type of rose, saving the rare blue variety.
prepositional phrase after main clause
- including
the opposite of excluding
Grammar Patterns
saving + noun phrase
saving + pronoun
Usage Note
Nearly identical in meaning to conjunction sense 1 (EXCEPT). The difference is syntactic: the conjunction links whole clauses, while the preposition is followed directly by a noun phrase. Both are very formal and rare in modern speech.
Common Mistakes
2. used to politely introduce a statement that disagrees with someone or criticises
used to politely introduce a statement that disagrees with someone or criticises them, while expressing respect for their position or feelings.
Saving your presence, sir, I must point out the figures here are wrong.
fixed phrase: saving your presence
Saving your presence, Your Honour, the evidence does not support the charge of theft in this case.
fixed phrase 'saving your presence' introducing polite disagreement
These accounts, saving your presence, appear to have been altered after the original audit was completed.
parenthetical insertion: 'saving your presence' mid-sentence
Saving your reverence, Father, the school funds would be better spent on new books than on building repairs.
fixed phrase 'saving your reverence' before addressing clergy
- with all due respect
the modern equivalent for politely disagreeing; much more common
- no offence intended
informal equivalent; used in everyday speech before a potentially critical remark
Grammar Patterns
saving + [someone's] + honour/presence/feelings
saving your presence
Usage Note
This is an archaic and highly formal construction, rarely used outside historical fiction, legal texts, or ceremonial speech. The most common fixed phrase is 'saving your presence', which means 'with respect to you who are present'.
saving — suffix
1. added to the end of a noun to form an adjective describing something that reduce
added to the end of a noun to form an adjective describing something that reduces how much of a resource — such as time, energy, money, or space — is needed.
Energy-saving light bulbs use about eighty percent less electricity than older ones.
energy-saving as compound adjective before noun
A time-saving app can help you order your weekly groceries in under two minutes.
Labour-saving devices such as washing machines changed home life across the world.
Space-saving furniture is especially popular in small apartments in crowded cities.
compound adjective: space-saving
The new fuel-saving engine uses advanced technology to cut petrol consumption by half.
compound adjective: fuel-saving
- energy-saving
- time-saving
- labour-saving
- space-saving
- fuel-saving
- money-saving
- -efficient
similar in meaning but emphasises doing more with less rather than using less
- -reducing
more general suffix; can apply to any reduction, not just resource use
Grammar Patterns
noun + -saving
Usage Note
The suffix '-saving' attaches to a noun to form a compound adjective. The resulting word is written with a hyphen when it appears before a noun (e.g. 'an energy-saving measure') but sometimes unhyphenated in other positions.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All five words refer to money set aside, but they differ in scope, formality, and typical use. 'Savings' is the most general and everyday term — it covers any money you keep rather than spend, whether in a bank, under the mattress, or in a retirement plan. 'Nest egg' is informal and suggests money saved for a specific future goal, such as retirement or a big purchase; it carries a warmer, more personal tone. 'Funds' is broader and more formal — it can include savings, but also current money, investment money, or money designated for a project ('school building funds'). 'Reserves' implies money kept for emergencies or unexpected needs, like a backup supply. 'Deposits' is the most specific: it refers to money actually placed in a bank account and is often used in banking contexts ('fixed-term deposits'). In casual conversation, 'savings' is the safest choice; 'funds' or 'reserves' work better in formal or business writing.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'saving' comes from the verb 'save', which entered English through Old French 'sauver', from Latin 'salvare' meaning 'to make safe or secure'. The Latin root 'salvus' means 'safe, unharmed'. Over centuries, the idea of 'making safe' broadened: first to rescuing people from danger (13th century), then to keeping money rather than spending it (16th century), and later to using less of any resource (19th century). The use of 'saving' as a conjunction and preposition meaning 'except' developed from the idea of 'reserving' or 'keeping back' one item from a group — first recorded in the 14th century.