said

¹ American  

[sed] / sɛd /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of say.

---

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.

---

said ¹ British  

/ sɛd /

adjective

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

---

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of say 1

said ² British  

/ ˈsɑːɪd /

noun

1. a variant of sayyid

---

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.

---

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

He said people were "struggling to afford a very basic shop" and that he had a "public health responsibility" to provide an affordable nutritious diet.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Hard asset cyclical sectors and large-cap blend funds were the biggest beneficiaries of these inflows, Barclays said.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

"I don't think I played that many matches ever in a row. and my body held up perfectly fine," she said.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

“I grew up in this town. I am here because I have to be here from a divorce, but as soon as they’re 18, I’ll be able to leave,” she said at the time.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

“But yeah, whatever,” Sela said quickly, as if she’d shown too much of herself to a not-friend like me.

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