couldn't/can't say

phrase

—used to say that someone does not know the answer to something

"When will you be done?" "I couldn't/can't say."

Examples of couldn't/can't say in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some calendars are overfull not because leaders can't say no, but because the organization is genuinely under-resourced. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2026

Andrew Gress can't say enough good things about his friend and co-worker Juan Oropeza. — Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026

Chicago police couldn't say if the stabbing was targeted, but are continuing to investigate. — Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026

And some schools have restrictions on what t-shirts can and can't say. — Toby Rose, Parents, 29 July 2025

The first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer couldn't say enough positive things about Parsons over the last couple of weeks. — Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025

As to whether bed bugs or cockroaches will be most successful as life on Earth dwindles, entomologists can't say. — Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 28 May 2025

Forecasters can't say much more than that at this point, given the large error bars in the timing. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 May 2025