say

[ sey ]

See synonyms for say on Thesaurus.com

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.)

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

Other definitions for say (2 of 4)

say²

[ sey ]

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 ]

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 ]

noun

Jean Bap·tiste [zhahnba-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. 2023

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 | THE 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 | THE 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 | THE 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 | THE 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 | THE 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) /

verbsays (sɛz), saying or said (mainly tr)

to speak, pronounce, or utter
(also intr) to express (an idea) in words; tell: we 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 recite: to say grace
(may take a clause as object) to report or allege: they say we shall have rain today
(may take a clause as object) to take as an assumption; suppose: let us say that he is lying
(may take a clause as object) to convey by means of artistic expression: the artist in this painting is saying that we should look for hope
to make a case for: there is much to be said for either course of action
(usually passive) Irish to persuade or coax (someone) to do something: If 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 disregarding: he 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

approximately: there were, say, 20 people present
for example: choose a number, say, four

noun

the right or chance to speak: let him have his say
authority, esp to influence a decision: he has a lot of say in the company's policy

a statement of opinion: you've had your say, now let me have mine

interjection

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

Origin of say

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

Derived forms of say

sayer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for say (2 of 2)

say²

/ (seɪ) /

noun

archaic a type of fine woollen fabric

Origin of 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.

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