saying

[ sey-ing ]

/ ˈseɪ ɪŋ /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR saying ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something said, especially a proverb or apothegm.

Nearby words

Idioms

go without saying, to be completely self-evident; be understood: It goes without saying that you are welcome to visit us at any time.

Origin of saying

1250–1300; Middle English (gerund); see say¹, -ing¹

SYNONYMS FOR saying

1. maxim, adage, saw, aphorism.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR saying ON THESAURUS.COM

say

[ sey ]

/ seɪ /

verb (used with object), said, say·ing.

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, say·ing.

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.)

Origin of say

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

Related formssay·er, noun

say

[ sey ]

/ seɪ /

verb (used with object), noun British Dialect.

assay.

Origin of say

1350–1400; Middle English sayen, aphetic variant of assayen to assay

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

Examples from the Web for saying

Leapolitan responded by saying, “hopefully youll [sic] bite into a poison apple.”
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Scalise spoke briefly, adding little of substance, saying that the people back home know him best.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In other words, the Air Force is saying that its drone force has been stretched to its limits.
Exclusive: U.S. Drone Fleet at ‘Breaking Point,’ Air Force Says|Dave Majumdar|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They liked what Duke was saying and were willing to look beyond what little they knew of his past.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

I remember that after the movie, people were saying how depressing it was, and I started an argument with them.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The cook here turned to me, saying that Mrs. Fairfax was waiting for me: so I departed.
Jane Eyre|Charlotte Bronte
The saying is perhaps not historical but it illustrates Indian sentiment.
Hinduism and Buddhism, Vol I. (of 3)|Charles Eliot
Lancken stiffened perceptibly at this suggestion and refused, frankly, saying that he could not do anything of the sort.
A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium|Hugh Gibson
Yet how could he have held the pistol to her head, saying, "No marriage, no elopement."
The Incredible Honeymoon|E. Nesbit
Well, of course the saying is foolish, and sounds doubly ridiculous in this age when people believe in neither God nor devil.
The Sorrows of Satan|Marie Corelli

British Dictionary definitions for saying

saying

/ (ˈseɪɪŋ) /

noun

a maxim, adage, or proverb

say

/ (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 Formssayer, noun

Word Origin for say

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

say

/ (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

Word Origin and History for saying

saying

"utterance, recitation, action of the verb 'say,' " c.1300, verbal noun from say (v.); meaning "something that has been said" (usually by someone thought important) is from c.1300; sense of "a proverb" is first attested mid-15c.

Ça va sans dire, a familiar French locution, whose English equivalent might be "that is a matter of course," or "that may be taken for granted." But recently it has become the tendency to translate it literally, "that goes without saying," and these words, though originally uncouth and almost unmeaning to the unpractised ear, are gradually acquiring the exact meaning of the French. [Walsh, 1892]

say

Old English secgan "to utter, inform, speak, tell, relate," from Proto-Germanic *sagjanan (cf. Old Saxon seggian, Old Norse segja, Danish sige, Old Frisian sedsa, Middle Dutch segghen, Dutch zeggen, Old High German sagen, German sagen "to say"), from PIE *sokwyo-, from root *sekw- (3) "to say, utter" (cf. Hittite shakiya- "to declare," Lithuanian sakyti "to say," Old Church Slavonic sociti "to vindicate, show," Old Irish insce "speech," Old Latin inseque "to tell say").

Past tense said developed from Old English segde. Not attested in use with inanimate objects (clocks, signs, etc.) as subjects before 1930. You said it "you're right" first recorded 1919; you can say that again as a phrase expressing agreement is recorded from 1942, American English. You don't say (so) as an expression of astonishment (often ironic) is first recorded 1779, American English.

say

"what someone says," 1570s, from say (v.). Meaning "right or authority to influence a decision" is from 1610s. Extended form say-so is first recorded 1630s. Cf. Old English secge "speech."

Idioms and Phrases with saying

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.

saying

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of saying

say

verb (used with object), said, say·ing.

verb (used without object), said, say·ing.

adverb

noun

interjection

Origin of say

say

verb (used with object), noun British Dialect.

Origin of say

Examples from the Web for saying

saying

noun

say

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

adverb

noun

interjection

Word Origin for say

say

noun

Word Origin for say

saying

say

say

say