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 Stern and Michael Stern
Jane Stern and Michael Stern… Ferraro showed off her sass. She critiqued President Reagan by name with a series of crowd pleasing one-liners.—Kathy Kiely
Kathy Kiely2
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
David FrickeAs they have for a decade, the international wealthy favor New York City for its comparative safety and social sass.—J. D. Reed
J. D. ReedLike a vintage jazz tune, fine Scotch delivers smooth flavor and sass.—Audarshia Townsend
Audarshia Townsend
sassed; sassing; sasses
: to talk impudently or disrespectfully to
a student who would never sass a teacher
Examples of sass in a Sentence
Noun
an old-fashioned diner where getting sass from the waitstaff is part of the experience
Verb
He got drunk and sassed a cop.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
Signs of sass becoming a problem include growling or snapping, guarding objects, ignoring basic commands persistently, or biting and destroying items.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2023
Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo and Lisa easily nailed a mix of Coachella cool and K-pop razzle-dazzle, stomping and sassing beneath a towering temple roof and making the most of the gigantic stage.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sass
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Noun
Since its first drink in 1954, Harry's Banana Farm in the West Palm Beach area of Florida has been serving up well drinks and plenty of sass, which can usually be seen on the ever-changing and cheekily phrased marquee sign out front.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
Signs of sass becoming a problem include growling or snapping, guarding objects, ignoring basic commands persistently, or biting and destroying items.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Often, vaudeville routines co-starred zany Hebrew comediennes, who sassed and scolded their counterparts, rebuffing Abie Cohen’s advances in favor of Irishmen or Italians.
—Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2023
Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo and Lisa easily nailed a mix of Coachella cool and K-pop razzle-dazzle, stomping and sassing beneath a towering temple roof and making the most of the gigantic stage.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sass
Cite this Entry
“Sass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sass. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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