say-so

[ sey-soh ]

/ ˈseɪˌsoʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR say-so ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural say-sos.

one's personal statement or assertion.

final authority; directing influence.

an authoritative statement.

Nearby words

say grace, say one's piece, say the word, say uncle, say's law, say-so, sayable, sayan mountains, saybolt universal seconds, saye, sayers

Origin of say-so

First recorded in 1630–40; orig., one's mere word on a matter, as opposed to proof

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for say-so

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
But I pray you, do not accept this law upon my say-so; but diligently examine for yourself.
What Is Man? And Other Stories|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Do you think I'd give up now, 'n' let the minister see 't my marryin' depended on his say-so?
Susan Clegg and Her Friend Mrs. Lathrop|Anne Warner

I was determined that not forever would I take the say-so of others on every phase of the labor problem.
Working With the Working Woman|Cornelia Stratton Parker
And we've got to give up the farm at his say-so—at any time?
Hiram The Young Farmer|Burbank L. Todd
We haven't been served with any contest notices yet, and so we ain't obliged to take their say-so.
The Flying U's Last Stand|B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for say-so

say-so

noun informal

an arbitrary assertion

an authoritative decision

the authority to make a final decision

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