student asking question

Is “hoarding” same with “saving”? Is this word used a lot?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Great question! To "hoard" something can mean to "save", but it usually implies that you are hiding something or collecting something in a large amount because it is valuable. Ex: She is hoarding food in the basement to prepare for a natural disaster. The verb "save" in this context means to set something aside for the future, but it does not have to be hidden or in a large amount, and it may not be valuable. Therefore "hoarding" is usually more extreme than "saving". Ex: I am saving this book to read when I have time later.

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