SAYS. Synonyms: 176 Similar and Opposite Words

says 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of say

as in tells

to express (a thought or emotion) in words why don't you just say what's on your mind?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in expresses

to convey in appropriate or telling terms I'm not quite sure how to say this, but that's the worst essay I've ever read

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as in recites

to give from memory say your prayers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reads

as in assumes

to take as true or as a fact without actual proof let's say, for the sake of argument, that this is true

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says

2 of 2

noun

plural of say

as in shares

the right to express a wish, choice, or opinion even if they decide otherwise, at least I had my say

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of says

Verb

The petition says the property has been in violation of city code for over five years and the owner has received several citations for various issues including roof disrepair, unattended vegetation growth, trash and graffiti. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026 Outside of NGOs, legal work for openly transgender people in Nepal is virtually nonexistent, executive director Manisha Dhakal says. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 This might help teach younger generations how to hunt, Higuera says. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026 Jon Moxley then walks in and says there isn't any tension between them. — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Defense says evidence is circumstantial, seeks lower bond Brown’s attorney, Bryan Hoeller, filed a motion on Tuesday seeking to reduce his bond, which had been set at $2 million. — Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026 The company says its CoSMo fusion systems are based on the magnetic mirror concept, which uses magnetic fields to confine high-temperature plasma. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026 Unfortunately for this part of the Lamborghini customer base, its chief marketing and sales officer Federico Foschini says there are currently no plans to put a similar transmission in one of the marque’s supercars. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 15 July 2026 Authorities recovered some of Erving’s clothing and his phone after the juvenile showed them where they had been discarded, the affidavit says. — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

Noun

The idea, Was says, was to focus on Weir’s songs and the characters in them rather than on the jammy side of the Dead. — David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026 It was given a 60 percent chance of cyclone formation through seven says—a 10- percentage-point increase over the previous day. — Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025 But today, the 42-year-old says, time would be better spent studying a more niche topic intertwined with AI, like AI for biology—or maybe not a degree at all. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for says

Verb

The historical data tells us that workplace promotions and outcomes have not been evenly distributed.

— Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Etched onto each of the bands is a series of letters and numbers that, if it’s captured again, tells the next researcher where this bird has been.

— Mack Baysinger Follow, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of tells

Verb

In one of Nolan’s subtle but important additions to Homer’s tale, all throughout the film, everyone expresses fears about the People from the Sea, this unseen menace terrorizing different towns.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 2026
Truly someone who has those types of values and expresses them very publicly.

— Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Definition of expresses

Verb

Standardization assumes what worked in one market will work everywhere.

— Teja Chekuri, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
But the action is nullified by the fact that Ono assumes the stoic posture of the Buddhist monks seen in the news at the time setting themselves aflame in protest of the Vietnam War.

— Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of assumes

Noun

Zendaya as Athena The goddess of wisdom and war, Athena watches over Odysseus throughout his journey and shares brief but impactful scenes with him.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Days after analysts at more than a dozen banks rolled out price targets that were almost uniformly bullish, the shares tumbled below their $135 IPO price for the first time, then kept falling toward $125.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 18 July 2026

Definition of shares

Verb

At the film’s end, Abbie Cornish as Fanny hears secondhand about Keats’s death and utters a cry that is almost too much to bear — a cry that feels too real.

— Sarah Chihaya, Vulture, 16 July 2026
Yet Cornelius Krull, the patriarch, speaks only a German dialect and never utters more than two words.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 May 2026

Definition of utters

Verb

Advocates and city councilors said at an April Council hearing that the Wu administration’s inaction has cost the city millions in federal grant funding and puts cyclists and pedestrians at risk.

— Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 22 July 2026
That puts additional weight on the value of the face-to-face interview — one of the last remaining stages of the hiring process that can’t be automated.

— Cami Fateh, Vogue, 22 July 2026

Definition of puts

Verb

Just as important, Beard believes the auction houses adjusted to the new market faster than much of the private market.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026
But should cynics in the industry be tapping the brakes a little, to make sure everybody believes Dean is all that, before giving her an official coronation?

— Chris Willman, Variety, 17 July 2026