say for
idiom
—used with words such as something, little, a lot, etc., to show that someone or something does or does not deserve to be praised, admired, etc.
It says a lot for her that she stayed in the game even though she was injured.
The students' low test scores don't say much for the education they're receiving.
Examples of say for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For example, nobody can say for sure whether Tripod is male or female.
—
Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
For instance, the data on the rise in buffalo kills is only correlational–the scientists can’t say for certain that it’s being caused by the invasive ants.
—Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2024
No one can say for sure how those dynamics will play out over the next 285 days, which Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump are already treating as the general election presidential campaign.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2024
Why this action and presentation is so appealing to fish nobody can say for sure.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Despite the evidence found at the McDonald home — the hammer and the blood — the prosecution could not say for sure how Andreen died.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 9 Dec. 2023
The town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina, doesn’t have a lot to say for itself.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
Most scientists think that Mars is lifeless now—although a few argue that life could be sheltering underground—but no one can say for sure whether the Red Planet could have also been a teeming one.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023
Any unctuous sauce, say for a blanquette de veau or boeuf bourguignon, must be mopped off the plate with a chunk of baguette.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
For instance, the data on the rise in buffalo kills is only correlational–the scientists can’t say for certain that it’s being caused by the invasive ants.
—Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2024
No one can say for sure how those dynamics will play out over the next 285 days, which Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump are already treating as the general election presidential campaign.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2024
Why this action and presentation is so appealing to fish nobody can say for sure.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Despite the evidence found at the McDonald home — the hammer and the blood — the prosecution could not say for sure how Andreen died.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 9 Dec. 2023
The town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina, doesn’t have a lot to say for itself.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
Most scientists think that Mars is lifeless now—although a few argue that life could be sheltering underground—but no one can say for sure whether the Red Planet could have also been a teeming one.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023
Any unctuous sauce, say for a blanquette de veau or boeuf bourguignon, must be mopped off the plate with a chunk of baguette.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'say for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Say for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/say%20for. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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