Definition of sass
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
informal
a
: impudent speech : back talk
She takes no sass from her students.
b
: bold rudeness or impertinence especially when considered playful, appealing, or courageous
It is all dished out by combat-ready waitresses whose borscht belt sass lends extra spice to the meal.— Jane and Michael Stern … Ferraro showed off her sass. She critiqued President Reagan by name with a series of crowd pleasing one-liners.— Kathy Kiely
2
informal
: an appealingly exciting, lively, or spirited quality
… Mick Jagger's recent solo may be high on style and sass, but it's tough to beat Talk Is Cheap for real primitive cool.— David Fricke As they have for a decade, the international wealthy favor New York City for its comparative safety and social sass.— J. D. Reed Like a vintage jazz tune, fine Scotch delivers smooth flavor and sass.— Audarshia Townsend
sass
verb
sassed; sassing; sasses
Definition of sass (Entry 2 of 2)
: to talk impudently or disrespectfully to
Test Your Vocabulary
Odd Habits and Quirks
-
- Which of the following best describes an easily irritated person?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share sass
Time Traveler for sass
The first known use of sass was in 1835
See more words from the same year