sake

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈsāk 

1

: end, purpose

for the sake of argument

2

a

: the good, advantage, or enhancement of some entity (such as an ideal)

free to pursue learning for its own sake

—M. S. Eisenhower

b

: personal or social welfare, safety, or benefit

sake

2 of 2

noun (2)

sa·​ke ˈsä-kē 

variants or saki

: a Japanese alcoholic beverage of fermented rice often served hot

Examples of sake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

However, while many companies have taken to monitoring employee behavior for the sake of RTO rules, others are using the remote work culture fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic as leverage for recruiting and keeping employees. —Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 8 Aug. 2025

For the sake of privacy, all voice data and driver profile information are stored for safe keeping in the MercedesIntelligent Cloud, the backbone that also keeps the suite of MB.OS features and applications connected. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Aug. 2025

Putin has been willing to take a lot of pain, including a warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court, as well as place Russia’s entire geopolitical position in jeopardy, for the sake of the war. —Daniel Depetris, Time, 7 Aug. 2025

The plants have been harvested for seeds to conduct experiments on, all for the sake of investigating how plants communicate. —Olivia Petty, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, dispute, guilt, purpose, from Old English sacu guilt, action at law; akin to Old High German sahha action at law, cause, Old English sēcan to seek — more at seek

Noun (2)

Japanese sake

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1682, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sake

• art for art's sake
• for goodness' sake
• for heaven's sake
• for old times' sake
• for simplicity's sake
• for the sake of appearances
• for the sake of it
• for the sake of simplicity
• just for the sake of it

Rhymes for sake

• ache
• ake
• bake
• brake
• break
• cake
• craik
• crake
• fake
• flake
• hake
• jake

Kids Definition

sake

1 of 2 noun

ˈsāk 

1

: goal sense 2, purpose

for the sake of argument

2

: the good of something : advantage

the sake of our country

sake

2 of 2 noun

sa·​ke

variants or saki

ˈsäk-ē 

: a Japanese alcoholic drink made from rice

Etymology

Noun

Old English sacu "guilt, legal action"

Noun

Japanese