"save face" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "lose face"
      },
      "expansion": "lose face",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See lose face.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "saves face",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "saving face",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "saved face",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "saved face",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "save face (third-person singular simple present saves face, present participle saving face, simple past and past participle saved face)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant script codes",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He tried to make reparations to those he had injured, partly to save face."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take an action or make a gesture intended to preserve one's reputation or honour."
      ],
      "id": "en-save_face-en-verb-OOp3NGNW",
      "links": [
        [
          "action",
          "action"
        ],
        [
          "gesture",
          "gesture"
        ],
        [
          "reputation",
          "reputation"
        ],
        [
          "honour",
          "honour"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, intransitive) To take an action or make a gesture intended to preserve one's reputation or honour."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "give face"
        },
        {
          "word": "lose face"
        },
        {
          "word": "cut off one's nose to spite one's face"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "ḥafiẓa māʔa l-wajhi",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "حَفِظَ مَاءَ الوَجْهِ"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "wǎnhuí miànzi",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "挽回面子"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "zachránit tvář"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "savi la vizaĝon"
        },
        {
          "code": "et",
          "lang": "Estonian",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "au päästma"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "pelastaa kasvonsa"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "sauver la face"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "das Gesicht wahren"
        },
        {
          "alt": "かおをたてる",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kao o tateru",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "顔を立てる"
        },
        {
          "alt": "めんぼくをたもつ",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "menboku o tamotsu",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "面目を保つ"
        },
        {
          "code": "km",
          "lang": "Khmer",
          "roman": "tukmukʼaoy",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "ទុកមុខអោយ"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "jaga air muka"
        },
        {
          "alt": "âb(e)ru-dâri kardan",
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "آبروداری کردن"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "zachować twarz"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "livrar a cara"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "soxranítʹ licó",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "сохрани́ть лицо́"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "rädda ansiktet"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "preserve reputation",
          "word": "giữ thể diện"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "save face"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "lose face"
      },
      "expansion": "lose face",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See lose face.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "saves face",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "saving face",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "saved face",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "saved face",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "save face (third-person singular simple present saves face, present participle saving face, simple past and past participle saved face)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "give face"
    },
    {
      "word": "lose face"
    },
    {
      "word": "cut off one's nose to spite one's face"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English verbs",
        "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He tried to make reparations to those he had injured, partly to save face."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take an action or make a gesture intended to preserve one's reputation or honour."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "action",
          "action"
        ],
        [
          "gesture",
          "gesture"
        ],
        [
          "reputation",
          "reputation"
        ],
        [
          "honour",
          "honour"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, intransitive) To take an action or make a gesture intended to preserve one's reputation or honour."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "ḥafiẓa māʔa l-wajhi",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "حَفِظَ مَاءَ الوَجْهِ"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "wǎnhuí miànzi",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "挽回面子"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "zachránit tvář"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "savi la vizaĝon"
    },
    {
      "code": "et",
      "lang": "Estonian",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "au päästma"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "pelastaa kasvonsa"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "sauver la face"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "das Gesicht wahren"
    },
    {
      "alt": "かおをたてる",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kao o tateru",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "顔を立てる"
    },
    {
      "alt": "めんぼくをたもつ",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "menboku o tamotsu",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "面目を保つ"
    },
    {
      "code": "km",
      "lang": "Khmer",
      "roman": "tukmukʼaoy",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "ទុកមុខអោយ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "jaga air muka"
    },
    {
      "alt": "âb(e)ru-dâri kardan",
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "آبروداری کردن"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "zachować twarz"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "livrar a cara"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "soxranítʹ licó",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "сохрани́ть лицо́"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "rädda ansiktet"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "preserve reputation",
      "word": "giữ thể diện"
    }
  ],
  "word": "save face"
}