Save up meaning
Save up means to keep money over time so you can buy something later. It can also mean to keep things over time so you can use them later.
save up
save up · saved · saving
I’m saving up for a new bike.
Save up meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Keep money over time so you can buy something later
save up
- I’m saving up for a new bike.
- She saved up for two years to visit Japan.
- Have you saved up enough for the concert tickets?
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2
Keep things over time so you can use them later
save something up
- I saved up my holiday days for a long trip.
- He saves up all his questions for the end of class.
- Don’t eat all the sweets now. Save some up for later.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use save up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is save up separable?
Save up often has no object. Use for to say what you want to buy: I’m saving up for a car. It can also take an object: save up money, save money up, save it up.
Save up stresses keeping money for a long time with a goal. Save alone can also mean keep someone safe, or press save on a computer.
Verb tenses for save up
| Present | I save up · she saves up |
|---|---|
| Past | saved up |
| Present perfect | have saved up |
| -ing form | saving up |
Common mistakes with save up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I’m saving up to a new phone.
Right: I’m saving up for a new phone.
Use for before the thing you want to buy.
Wrong: I’m saving up buy a house.
Right: I’m saving up to buy a house.
Before a verb, use to: save up to buy.
Wrong: I save up money since January.
Right: I’ve been saving up since January.
For something that started in the past and goes on now, use the present perfect.
Synonyms and opposites of save up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- put asidekeep money or time for a special use
- set asidekeep some money or time for one purpose
- put money byUK; save money little by little
Opposite
- splash outUK; spend a lot of money on something nice
- spenduse money to buy things
- use upuse all of something so none is left
Save up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Tom puts money in a jar every week. He’s ___ for a guitar.
Save up means keep money to buy something later.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Use save up for before the thing you want.
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3“I’m saving up my energy for the race.” What does the speaker mean?
Save up can mean keep something to use later, not only money.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- take upB1start a new hobby or activity
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- give upB1stop doing or having something, often a habit
- break upB1end a romantic relationship
Save up FAQ
Questions people ask about save up.
Save vs save up: what is the difference?
Save has many meanings: save money, save a file, save a life. Save up is only about keeping money or things for later, usually with a goal.
Is it save up for or save up to?
Both are right. Use for before a noun: save up for a trip. Use to before a verb: save up to travel.
What is the past tense of save up?
Saved up. I saved up for a year. I have saved up 500 euros.
Use save up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.