sake

¹ American  

[sayk] / seɪk /

noun

1. cause, account, interest, or benefit.

   for the sake of all students.

   Synonyms:

   respect, consideration, regard

2. purpose or end.

   for the sake of appearances.

   Synonyms:

   reason

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sake ² American  

[sah-kee] / ˈsɑ ki /

Or saké,

noun

1. a Japanese fermented, mildly alcoholic beverage made from rice.

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sake ¹ British  

/ seɪk /

noun

1. benefit or interest (esp in the phrase for ( someone's or one's own ) sake )

2. the purpose of obtaining or achieving (esp in the phrase for the sake of ( something ))

3. used in various exclamations of impatience, urgency, etc

   for heaven's sake

   for pete's sake

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sake ² British  

/ ˈsækɪ /

noun

1. a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice

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sake Idioms  

1. see for the sake of.

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Etymology

Origin of sake¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sacu “lawsuit, cause”; cognate with German Sache “thing,” Old Norse sǫk “lawsuit”; akin to seek

Origin of sake²

First recorded in 1680–90; from Japanese sake; compare Okinawan saki

Explanation

Sake means the purpose for doing something. You might run a fund-raising marathon for the sake of sick children. Sake comes from the old English term for "affair," or "cause of guilt." We usually use sake to talk about the motivating cause of something we do. You might study hard for the sake of your grades. But then again, you might blow off your studies for the sake of having fun. Spelled the same way, but pronounced SAH-key, sake is also the name of a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sake

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he will keep his ruling coalition together for the sake of his country's "democratic future", following resounding defeats for his party in two state elections.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

SINGAPORE—The crowd gasped as the brokers swung the wooden mallets on the lid of the sake barrel, cracking it open in celebration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

But for the sake of filmgoing at large, I’d be more thrilled to spot another under-the-radar “Obsession.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

For the sake of argument, let’s take Altman and Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei at their word.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

In leaving mediumship for Elisha’s sake, she had also left behind an exciting life with fellow celebrities, new ideas, and lively conversation.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• well-being