say

¹

[ sey ]

verb (used with object)

, said [sed], say·ing [sey, -ing].

1. to utter or pronounce; speak:

   What did you say? I said “Hello!”

2. to express in words; state; declare; word:

   Say it clearly and simply. It's hard to know how to say this tactfully.

3. to state as an opinion or judgment:

   I say her plan is the better one.

4. to be certain, precise, or assured about; determine:

   It is hard to say what is wrong.

5. to recite or repeat:

   to say one's prayers.

6. to report or allege; maintain:

   People say he will resign.

7. to express (a message, viewpoint, etc.), as through a literary or other artistic medium:

   a writer with something to say.

8. to indicate or show:

   What does your watch say?

9. to assume as a hypothesis or estimate:

   Let's say, for the sake of argument, that it's true.

verb (used without object)

, said [sed], say·ing [sey, -ing].

1. to speak; declare; express an opinion.

adverb

1. approximately; about:

   It's, say, 14 feet long.

2. for example:

   If you serve, say tuna fish and potato chips, it will cost much less.

noun

1. what a person says or has to say.
2. the right or opportunity to speak, decide, or exercise influence:

   to have one's say in choosing the candidate.

3. a turn to say something:

   It is now my say.

interjection

1. (used to express surprise, get attention, etc.)

say

²

[ sey ]

verb (used with object)

1. British Dialect. assay.

say

³

[ sey ]

noun

1. a thin silk or woolen fabric similar to serge, much used in the 16th century.

Say

⁴

[ sey ]

noun

1. Jean Bap·tiste [zhah, n, b, a, -, teest], 1767–1832, French economist. Compare Say's law.
2. Thomas, 1787–1834, U.S. entomologist.

say

¹

/ seɪ /

verb

1. to speak, pronounce, or utter
2. also intr to express (an idea) in words; tell

   we asked his opinion but he refused to say

3. also intr; may take a clause as object to state (an opinion, fact, etc) positively; declare; affirm
4. to recite

   to say grace

5. may take a clause as object to report or allege

   they say we shall have rain today

6. may take a clause as object to take as an assumption; suppose

   let us say that he is lying

7. may take a clause as object to convey by means of artistic expression

   the artist in this painting is saying that we should look for hope

8. to make a case for

   there is much to be said for either course of action

9. usually passive to persuade or coax (someone) to do something

   If I hadn't been said by her, I wouldn't be in this fix

10. go without saying
    to be so obvious as to need no explanation
11. I say! informal.
    an exclamation of surprise
12. not to say
    even; and indeed
13. that is to say
    in other words; more explicitly
14. to say nothing of
    as well as; even disregarding

    he was warmly dressed in a shirt and heavy jumper, to say nothing of a thick overcoat

15. to say the least
    without the slightest exaggeration; at the very least

adverb

1. approximately

   there were, say, 20 people present

2. for example

   choose a number, say, four

noun

1. the right or chance to speak

   let him have his say

2. authority, esp to influence a decision

   he has a lot of say in the company's policy

3. a statement of opinion

   you've had your say, now let me have mine

interjection

1. informal.
   an exclamation to attract attention or express surprise, etc

say

²

/ seɪ /

noun

1. archaic.
   a type of fine woollen fabric

Derived Forms

• ˈsayer, noun

Other Words From

• sayer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of say¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English seyen, seggen, Old English secgan; cognate with Dutch zeggen, German sagen, Old Norse segja; akin to saw ³

Origin of say²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English saien, sayen, shortening of assaien, assayen to assay

Origin of say³

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sai(e), a kind of serge, from Old French saie, saye “long-skirted coat,” from Medieval Latin saia, sagum, a kind of cloth, from Latin saga, plural of sagum “coarse woolen cloak, soldier's cloak,” from Gaulish sogom

Word History and Origins

Origin of say¹

Old English secgan; related to Old Norse segja, Old Saxon seggian, Old High German sagēn

Origin of say²

C13: from Old French saie, from Latin saga, plural of sagum a type of woollen cloak

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. that is to say. that ( def 16 ).

More idioms and phrases containing say

• before you can say Jack Robinson
• cry (say) uncle
• do as I say
• give (say) the word
• go without (saying)
• have a say in
• I dare say
• I'll say
• needless to say
• never say die
• never say never
• not to mention (say nothing of)
• on one's say-so
• strange to say
• suffice it to say
• that is (to say)
• to say the least
• you can say that again
• you don't say
• said

Example Sentences

It’s certainly well beyond the power of any docudrama to take it in whole, and the strength of FX’s “Say Nothing” — a nine-episode historical drama now streaming on Hulu — is that it doesn’t try to.

From Los Angeles Times

A disclaimer at the end of each episode acknowledges Adams’ denial that he was ever a member of the IRA or involved in political violence; it’s a claim “Say Nothing” otherwise freely dismisses.

From Los Angeles Times

“Say Nothing” begins in a state of knotted tension: an introductory voiceover by Lola Petticrew’s resolute Dolours Price lets us know we’re walking in on a fight between the British and the Irish, “the same old s**te,” that’s spanned 800 years.

From Salon

Maybe she's also a stand-in for a nation perpetually haunted by the Troubles, the violent escalation between Northern Ireland's Catholics and Protestant loyalists through which “Say Nothing” travels.

From Salon

“Say Nothing” is a historical limited series about a war fought in neighborhood streets and on doorsteps, in a country the rest of the world believes is at peace.

From Salon

Related Words

• add
• announce
• answer
• assert
• claim
• convey
• declare
• deliver
• disclose
• do
• estimate
• express
• maintain
• mention
• read
• repeat
• reply
• report
• respond
• reveal