say

[ sey ]

/ seɪ /

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verb (used with object), said

[sed], /sɛd/, say·ing

[sey-ing]. /ˈseɪ ɪŋ/.

to utter or pronounce; speak: What did you say? I said “Hello!”

to express in words; state; declare; word: Say it clearly and simply. It's hard to know how to say this tactfully.

to state as an opinion or judgment: I say her plan is the better one.

to be certain, precise, or assured about; determine: It is hard to say what is wrong.

to recite or repeat: to say one's prayers.

to report or allege; maintain: People say he will resign.

to express (a message, viewpoint, etc.), as through a literary or other artistic medium: a writer with something to say.

to indicate or show: What does your watch say?

to assume as a hypothesis or estimate: Let's say, for the sake of argument, that it's true.

verb (used without object), said

[sed], /sɛd/, say·ing

[sey-ing]. /ˈseɪ ɪŋ/.

to speak; declare; express an opinion.

adverb

approximately; about: It's, say, 14 feet long.

for example: If you serve, say tuna fish and potato chips, it will cost much less.

noun

what a person says or has to say.

the right or opportunity to speak, decide, or exercise influence: to have one's say in choosing the candidate.

a turn to say something: It is now my say.

interjection

(used to express surprise, get attention, etc.)

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Idioms about say

that is to say. that (def. 16).

Origin of say

First recorded before 900; Middle English seyen, seggen, Old English secgan; cognate with Dutch zeggen, German sagen, Old Norse segja; akin to saw³

OTHER WORDS FROM say

sayer, noun

Words nearby say

Saxonism, saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, saxophone, saxtuba, say, sayable, say a mouthful, Sayan Mountains, Sayão, Saybolt universal seconds

Other definitions for say (2 of 4)

say²

[ sey ]

/ seɪ /

verb (used with object), noun

British Dialect. assay.

Origin of say

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English saien, sayen, shortening of assaien, assayen to assay

Other definitions for say (3 of 4)

say³

[ sey ]

/ seɪ /

noun

a thin silk or woolen fabric similar to serge, much used in the 16th century.

Origin of say

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sai(e), a kind of serge, from Old French saie, saye “long-skirted coat,” from Medieval Latin saia, sagum, a kind of cloth, from Latin saga, plural of sagum “coarse woolen cloak, soldier's cloak,” from Gaulish sogom

Other definitions for say (4 of 4)

Say

[ sey ]

/ seɪ /

noun

Jean Bap·tiste

[zhahn ba-teest], /ʒɑ̃ baˈtist/, 1767–1832, French economist.Compare Say's law.

Thomas, 1787–1834, U.S. entomologist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use say in a sentence

And more I cannot explain/but you, from what I did not say/will infer what I do not say.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun|Katie Baker|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Compston managed all this without the say-so of the Courtauld, which sent him a stinging letter.
Joshua Compston Was Once the Wunderkind of the British Art World…and Now He’s Been Practically Forgotten|Anthony Haden-Guest|January 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Marchman takes it as a given that MLB basing its case on the say-so of a sketchy Floridian drug-dealer is preposterous.
Major League Baseball Is Right to Punish the Biogenesis Cheats|Michael Brendan Dougherty|June 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
How does Romney give that answer on national television and force his campaign into what-he-really-meant-to-say mode?
Mitt Romney Muddles His Message on Health Care|Howard Kurtz|September 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Matthew Yglesias on how the right's just-say-no game helped bring the left together.
How the GOP Made It Happen|Matthew Yglesias|March 21, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Or ne say-je quelle estoit sa maladie; si elle venoit seulement par intervalles, ou non, je n'en say rien: tant y a que le 2.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
ITo heaven cry aloud, and to the world:“Who hath reduced her to this pass?Say, say!”
The Poems of Giacomo Leopardi|Giacomo Leopardi
Maybe Marie would wish then that she had thought twice about quitting him just on her mother's say-so.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
And hast thou fixed my doom, kind master, say?And wilt thou kill thy servant, old and poor?
Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match|Francis C. Woodworth
And hast thou fixed my doom, sweet master, say?And wilt thou kill thy servant, old and poor?
Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match|Francis C. Woodworth

British Dictionary definitions for say (1 of 2)

say¹

/ (seɪ) /

verb says (sɛz), saying or said (mainly tr)

to speak, pronounce, or utter

(also intr) to express (an idea) in words; tellwe asked his opinion but he refused to say

(also intr; may take a clause as object) to state (an opinion, fact, etc) positively; declare; affirm

to reciteto say grace

(may take a clause as object) to report or allegethey say we shall have rain today

(may take a clause as object) to take as an assumption; supposelet us say that he is lying

(may take a clause as object) to convey by means of artistic expressionthe artist in this painting is saying that we should look for hope

to make a case forthere is much to be said for either course of action

(usually passive) Irish to persuade or coax (someone) to do somethingIf I hadn't been said by her, I wouldn't be in this fix

go without saying to be so obvious as to need no explanation

I say! mainly British informal an exclamation of surprise

not to say even; and indeed

that is to say in other words; more explicitly

to say nothing of as well as; even disregardinghe was warmly dressed in a shirt and heavy jumper, to say nothing of a thick overcoat

to say the least without the slightest exaggeration; at the very least

adverb

approximatelythere were, say, 20 people present

for examplechoose a number, say, four

noun

the right or chance to speaklet him have his say

authority, esp to influence a decisionhe has a lot of say in the company's policy

a statement of opinionyou've had your say, now let me have mine

interjection

US and Canadian informal an exclamation to attract attention or express surprise, etc

Derived forms of say

sayer, noun

Word Origin for say

Old English secgan; related to Old Norse segja, Old Saxon seggian, Old High German sagēn

British Dictionary definitions for say (2 of 2)

say²

/ (seɪ) /

noun

archaic a type of fine woollen fabric

Word Origin for say

C13: from Old French saie, from Latin saga, plural of sagum a type of woollen cloak

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with say

say

In addition to the idioms beginning with say

say a mouthful
say grace
say one's piece
says who?
say the word
say uncle

also see:

before you can say Jack Robinson
cry (say) uncle
do as I say
give (say) the word
go without (saying)
have a say in
I dare say
I'll say
needless to say
never say die
never say never
not to mention (say nothing of)
on one's say-so
strange to say
suffice it to say
that is (to say)
to say the least
you can say that again
you don't say

Also see undersaid.

say

Idioms about say

Origin of say

OTHER WORDS FROM say

Words nearby say

Other definitions for say (2 of 4)

Origin of say

Other definitions for say (3 of 4)

Origin of say

Other definitions for say (4 of 4)

learn more about say

Words related to say

How to use say in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for say (1 of 2)

Derived forms of say

Word Origin for say

British Dictionary definitions for say (2 of 2)

Word Origin for say

Other Idioms and Phrases with say