sake

¹ American  

[seyk] / 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

But this is a viable media enterprise that I’m really interested in for the sake of comedy and the opportunity for outsider or fringe comedy.

From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2026

He’s a professional male athlete, for heaven’s sake, and I don’t emotionally invest in professional male athletes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Nearly 80% of shares voting opposed the advisory “say-on-pay” resolution, with critics citing time-based vesting and growth for growth’s sake.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

For simplicity’s sake, I typically use the example of receiving $1,000 a month at full retirement age.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

For the sake of clarity, let’s use the name by which he would become infamous in America: Rudolf Abel.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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