saying
Americannoun
idioms
noun
Etymology
Origin of saying
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (gerund); see say 1, -ing 1
Explanation
A short, common, and easy-to-remember phrase is a saying. When class ends right before your turn to give a speech, you might use the saying, "Saved by the bell!" A saying is basically the same as an aphorism, an adage, or a proverb, usually offering some kind of wisdom. If you accidentally break your sister's favorite teacup, you might think of the saying "To err is human, to forgive divine," which means that everyone makes mistakes but only truly remarkable people are able to forgive these mistakes. You should probably also remind yourself of the saying, "Honesty is the best policy."
Vocabulary lists containing saying
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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One Idea, Part 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At least three movies have someone saying, “That’s life,” with a shrug.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Guardiola responded by saying the insinuation that City were spending their way to success "bothers me, because it's not true that we spent £200m every window."
From BBC • May 19, 2026
The head of parliament's trade committee, Bernd Lange, struck an optimistic note, saying the sides had "already made a lot of progress".
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
I have been asking them to provide accounting, but they are basically saying that was my mother’s business and they can’t disclose her last statement to me.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
I bit my lip to keep from saying it.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
