Meaning & use
save money
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Meanings
phraseidiom
to keep money instead of spending it, especially by spending less or putting it aside for later.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; the subject is usually a person or organization: I save money by cooking at home.
Patterns
- save money on something
- save money by doing something
- save money for something
She saves money every month by taking the bus instead of driving.
We need to save money if we want to buy a house next year.
The company saved money by switching to cheaper suppliers.
phraseidiom
to put money into a bank account or a fund so that it grows over time.
Grammar: Often followed by 'for' plus a purpose or by 'in' plus an account type: save money for college, save money in a savings account.
Patterns
- save money for something
- save money in an account
He saves money in a high-interest account for his retirement.
They are saving money for their daughter's education.
Common combinations
- save money on
- You can save money on groceries by buying in bulk.
- save money by
- She saves money by making coffee at home.
- save money for
- We are saving money for a trip to Japan.
- save a lot of money
- Using coupons saved us a lot of money last month.
- save money in the long run
- Buying quality shoes saves money in the long run.
Synonyms and how they differ
- economize
- More formal; it means to spend less carefully, often in a serious or official way, while 'save money' is the everyday phrase.
- cut costs
- Focuses on reducing business or household expenses, often as a deliberate strategy, not just putting money aside.
- put money aside
- Emphasizes setting money apart for future use, similar to one sense of 'save money' but more literal about the action.
Opposites
Word family
- saver noun
- a person who saves money, or a product that helps you save.
- savings noun
- money that has been saved, especially in a bank.
- saving noun
- an amount of money not spent; often used in the plural.
Commonly confused: save money or save up?
save money vs save up
'Save up' means to gradually collect money for a specific purpose, while 'save money' is broader and can mean simply not spending or putting money in the bank.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'save money' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Save money by doing something' is the correct pattern. 'Save money to the bank' is wrong because we say 'put money in the bank'; 'on his wallet' is illogical; and 'for spend' is ungrammatical after a preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “save money”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.