say

verb \ ˈsā , Southern also ˈse \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

said play \ˈsed, especially when subject follows səd\; saying play \ˈsā-iŋ\; says play \ˈsez, sometimes ˈsāz, especially when subject follows səz\

transitive verb

1 a : to express in words : state

b : to state as opinion or belief : declare

2 a : utter, pronounce

b : recite, repeat

say your prayers

3 a : indicate, show

the clock says five minutes after twelve

b : to give expression to : communicate

a glance that said all that was necessary

4 : suppose, assume

let's say you're right

intransitive verb

: to express oneself : speak

—

sayer

play \ˈsā-ər, ˈser\ noun

— say uncle

: to admit defeat

— that is to say

: in other words : in effect

— to say nothing of

: not to mention : and notably in addition

will need more time, to say nothing of money

See say defined for English-language learners

See say defined for kids

Examples of say in a Sentence

“Is anybody there?” he said.
“Good morning,” said the woman behind the counter.
I said three words before he interrupted me again.
I just stopped by to say hello.
He left without saying goodbye.
I wanted to say thank you for all you've done for me.
She said something about going to the store after work.
He said something in French.
Anything you say to the police can be used as evidence against you.
Don't believe a word he says.

Recent Examples of say from the Web

The kids were taken to the Deerfield Beach district offices of the Broward Sheriff’s Office to be questioned, Kane said.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Four children interviewed by police after 'suspicious' fire," 28 Feb. 2018
Birst said of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps.

— maureen robertson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "NJROTC: ‘Leadership through leadership’," 28 Feb. 2018
Ice coverage rebounded a bit over the weekend, Thoman said on Monday.

— alex demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Warm storms pummel Bering Sea, leading to ‘crazy’ ice melt-off," 28 Feb. 2018
Grossman said that the company will continue to evaluate its business strategy over the course of this year, with several changes already planned.

— natasha bach, Fortune, "'The World Doesn’t Need Another Diet': Weight Watchers Is Moving Beyond Just Counting Points," 28 Feb. 2018
Auburn coach Mickey Dean said Snow's illness wasn't expected to linger into this week.

— james crepea, AL.com, "Auburn softball nearing full strength entering last non-conference event," 28 Feb. 2018
Ghani said a political framework for peace negotiations should be created with a ceasefire and the Taliban recognized as a legitimate political group with an official political office.

— NBC News, "Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offers peace talks with Taliban ‘without condition’," 28 Feb. 2018
Waymo said the video can be viewed on desktop or mobile, but recommends VR viewers like Google cardboard for a more-immersive experience.

— carolyn said, San Francisco Chronicle, "Waymo offers virtual reality glimpse at riding in driverless car," 28 Feb. 2018
Gaines said that anxiety continued to build over the years.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "WATCH: Joanna Gaines Reveals She Was Bullied in School, and How It Shaped Her as a Parent," 27 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'say.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of say

Middle English, from Old English secgan; akin to Old High German sagēn to say, Lithuanian sakyti, Greek ennepein to speak, tell

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

say Synonyms

Phrases

take for granted;

say

noun

plural says play \ˈsāz, Southern also ˈsez\

1 archaic : something that is said : statement

2 : an expression of opinion

had my say

3 : a right or power to influence action or decision; especially : the authority to make final decisions

See say defined for English-language learners

Examples of say in a Sentence

Everybody had a say at the meeting.
We won't make a decision until all members have had their say.
The judge will have the final say on the divorce settlement.
He had no say in the matter.

Recent Examples of say from the Web

Schwarzman also wanted a say in the building of the new high school, demanding to review a list of general contractors and comment on final designs and cost estimates, while receiving quarterly progress reports.

— Philly.com, "Billionaire Stephen Schwarzman had long list of demands in exchange for $25M donation to Abington High," 11 Apr. 2018
China will have a big say in what happens next with North Korea.

— elizabeth saunders, Washington Post, "Bolton starts today, with a Syria crisis on the agenda. But there are limits to what he can do.," 9 Apr. 2018
The new rules would require that districts be compact, reduce how often counties could be split into multiple districts and increase the say of the minority party during the map-drawing process.

— rich exner, cleveland.com, "ACLU will not support, or oppose, change in Ohio's congressional redistricting rules," 9 Apr. 2018
Democrats say this gives regular workers a greater say over how their companies are run and will increase wages, while Republicans claim that this makes companies less efficient and be bad for the economy.

— dylan matthews, Vox, "Workers don’t have much say in corporations. Why not give them seats on the board?," 6 Apr. 2018
And in the case of the Caribbean countries, the support came from government ministers—who technically have zero say or place at a FIFA congress—rather than their respective soccer federations.

— brian straus, SI.com, "Concacaf Nations' 'Preference' for Morocco's 2026 World Cup Bid Adds to Voting Uncertainty," 5 Apr. 2018
But the movement of women is also having an unhappier impact on households in a country where men have long been the main earners, and often had a bigger say in the family.

— rina chandran, The Christian Science Monitor, "As climate change worsens, more Filipino women migrate," 30 Mar. 2018
The only way that trust can be restored is by allowing the people to have a say through a vote whether to enshrine the PFD in the constitution.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Written in stone: Protect PFD with constitution," 10 Feb. 2018
In both cases, the legislators cited a 2004 hunting law that gives local governments a say in how some loaded weapons can be transported.

— antonio olivo, Washington Post, "Va. Democrats urge Fairfax and Prince William to ban loaded shotguns, rifles on roads," 28 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of say

1571

say Synonyms

Synonyms

say-so, voice, vote;

Related Words

part, role (also rôle), share;

ballot, enfranchisement, franchise, suffrage;

belief, conviction, judgment (or judgement), opinion, sentiment, view;

say

adverb

1 : about, approximately

the property is worth, say, four million dollars

2 : for example : as

if we compress any gas, say oxygen

Examples of say in a Sentence

a person consumes, say, 2000 calories a day

Origin and Etymology of say

from imperative of ¹say

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1596

See Words from the same year

say Synonyms

Synonyms

about, approximately, around, like, more or less, much, near, plus or minus, roughly, some;

Antonyms

exactly, precisely;

Near Antonyms

due, even, just, sharp, smack-dab, squarely;

Related Words

generally, kind of, loosely;

nearly, nominally, practically, virtually, well-nigh;

Phrases

after a fashion, somewhere about, somewhere around;

SAY Defined for English Language Learners

say

verb

: to use your voice to express (something) with words
: to express (an opinion)
: to express (a fact) with certainty

say

noun

: an opportunity to express your opinion
: the power to decide or help decide something

SAY Defined for Kids

say

verb \ ˈsā \

said \ˈsed\; saying \ˈsā-iŋ\

1 : to express in words

He said that she would be late.

What does the card say?

2 : to state as an opinion or decision : declare

I say you are wrong.

3 : ¹repeat 2, recite

I said my prayers.

4 : indicate 2, show

The clock says half past ten.

5 : to consider as a possibility or example

Can you spare, say, 20 dollars?

say

noun

1 : an expression of opinion

We all had a say at the meeting.

2 : the power to decide or help decide

We had no say in the matter.

Learn More about say

See words that rhyme with say Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for say Spanish Central: Translation of say Nglish: Translation of say for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of say for Arabic speakers

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