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

Dave Chappelle is equally awful, content-wise, but at least he’s good at being the absolute worst, if that can be a thing for the sake of this argument.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026

It has an anchor locker, for heaven’s sake, a wash-down spray hose and a nightclub-caliber sound system that I doubt is Audubon-approved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Oscar-winning actor Jessica Lange has also made similar statements in the past, saying in 2023 that comic-book movies have “sacrificed this art that we’ve been involved in … for the sake of profit.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

I still think City will find a way though, and they need to for the sake of the title race.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

“For heaven’s sake, Corrie, don’t do anything to get Tante Jans started wrong,” Betsie said.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• well-being