Meaning & use
savor
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To enjoy the taste or smell of food or drink slowly and with full attention.
Grammar: Takes an object: she savored each bite.
Patterns
- savor something
- savor every bite
She savored every spoonful of the soup.
We sat on the porch, savoring the smell of fresh bread.
He savored the coffee before going to work.
verbtransitivefigurative
To enjoy a moment or experience fully and not rush through it.
Grammar: Often used with moments, success or memories.
Patterns
- savor the moment
- savor a victory
The team savored its first championship win.
Take time to savor these quiet mornings.
She savored the memory of the trip for years.
verbintransitiveformal
To have a trace or hint of a quality.
Grammar: Followed by of: his words savored of arrogance.
Patterns
- savor of something
His reply savored of arrogance.
The proposal savors of unfairness.
Her humor never savored of cruelty.
Word forms
| third person singular | savors |
|---|---|
| past tense | savored |
| past participle | savored |
| -ing form | savoring |
Common combinations
- savor the moment
- After the long climb, they savored the moment at the summit.
- savor every bite
- I savored every bite of the chocolate cake.
- savor the flavor
- Take a sip and savor the flavor.
- savor a victory
- The coach savored the victory in the locker room.
- savor the memory
- He savored the memory of his first concert.
Synonyms and how they differ
- relish
- Relish suggests enjoying something with keen pleasure and sometimes eagerness, rather than slowly.
- enjoy
- Enjoy is the plain everyday word and carries no sense of slowness or full attention.
- appreciate
- Appreciate stresses recognizing the worth of something, with less of the physical pleasure that savor has.
- luxuriate in
- Luxuriate in suggests indulging in comfort, and is more physical than savor.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: savor or savvy? savor or saver?
savor vs savvy
Savvy means shrewd or knowledgeable, and has a different sound and meaning from savor.
savor vs saver
A saver is a person who puts money away, not one who enjoys tastes.
Practice
After the long wait, Lena sat down to ___ her first bite of the dish.
Choose one answer.
Savor means to enjoy slowly with full attention. Swallow and stifle do not suggest enjoyment, and scorn expresses contempt.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “savor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.