said

¹ American  

[sed] / sɛd /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of say.

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adjective

1. Chiefly Law. named or mentioned before; aforesaid; aforementioned.

   said witness;

   said sum.

said ² American  

[sah-id] / ˈsɑ ɪd /

noun

Islam.

1. sayyid.

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said ¹ British  

/ sɛd /

adjective

1. (prenominal) (in contracts, pleadings, etc) named or mentioned previously; aforesaid

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verb

1. the past tense and past participle of say 1

said ² British  

/ ˈsɑːɪd /

noun

1. a variant of sayyid

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said Idioms  

1. see easier said than done; enough said; no sooner said than done; when all's said and done; you said it. Also see under say.

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Etymology

Origin of said

First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective

Explanation

The word said is the past tense of the verb "say," but it can also be used as an adjective to refer to something that has been previously introduced. Although said is most commonly used as the past tense of the verb say, its use as an adjective comes mainly in legal and business writing. In that vein, the word offers a reference to something that was mentioned earlier. The judge may tell you that if you can't provide said evidence, your case will be dismissed. That evidence was mentioned before. If you don't know what the said example is, you must not have been paying attention.

Example Sentences

"Most life on Earth is microbial, driving nutrient cycles and ecosystem function while revealing new dimensions of biological diversity through symbiosis," said Grosell.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

"Will it be easy to deliver? No, it won't, nor will it be cheap," said Waters.

From BBC • May 31, 2026

Nunez said in a press briefing earlier Sunday that 780 people were arrested across the country during the overnight celebrations.

From Barron's • May 31, 2026

"While risk increases steadily as people age, it abruptly decreases after ages 80-85," said Fane.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

“I don’t think it’s really my hair,” Sela said.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith