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Synonyms

give the word

Idioms  

  1. Also, say the word. Give an order, tell or show when something is to be done, as in If you want us to move out, just give the word, or When you want the car, just say the word. The first expression, dating from about 1400, originally alluded to uttering a password in response to a sentinel's challenge. The second is even older, appearing in an early translation of the biblical books of Genesis and Exodus: “And God said the word to Abraham.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"In moments like this there is always a solution in democracy, without drama or fears ... to give the word back to the people," Rebelo de Sousa said in a televised address.

From Reuters • Nov. 4, 2021

Her nuanced performance on the show helps give the word a more inclusive meaning.

From New York Times • Jan. 8, 2019

All he has to do is give the word.

From Newsweek • Mar. 17, 2013

Its conclusion: "To discover in artificial insemination by an anonymous donor an act of adultery is certainly to give the word a meaning that it does not have in the New Testament."

From Time Magazine Archive

No: I can never give the word for this.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.