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Stress-associated proteins (SAPs) are a kind of zinc finger protein with an A20/AN1 domain and contribute to plants’ adaption to various abiotic and biological stimuli. However, little is known about the <i>SAP</i> genes in maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.). In the present study, the <i>SAP</i> genes were identified from the maize genome. Subsequently, the protein properties, gene structure and duplication, chromosomal location, and <i>cis</i>-acting elements were analyzed by bioinformatic methods. Finally, their expression profiles under osmotic stresses, including drought and salinity, as well as ABA, and overexpression in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> W303a cells, were performed to uncover the potential function. The results showed that a total of 10 <i>SAP</i> genes were identified and named <i>ZmSAP1</i> to <i>ZmSAP10</i> in maize, which was unevenly distributed on six of the ten maize chromosomes. The ZmSAP1, ZmSAP4, ZmSAP5, ZmSAP6, ZmSAP7, ZmSAP8 and ZmSAP10 had an A20 domain at N terminus and AN1 domain at C terminus, respectively. Only ZmSAP2 possessed a single AN1 domain at the N terminus. ZmSAP3 and ZmSAP9 both contained two AN1 domains without an A20 domain. Most <i>ZmSAP</i> genes lost introns and had abundant stress- and hormone-responsive <i>cis</i>-elements in their promoter region. The results of quantitative real-time PCR showed that all <i>ZmSAP</i> genes were regulated by drought and saline stresses, as well as ABA induction. Moreover, heterologous expression of <i>ZmSAP2</i> and <i>ZmSAP7</i> significantly improved the saline tolerance of yeast cells. The study provides insights into further underlying the function of ZmSAPs in regulating stress response in maize.