3
b
: to give expression to : communicate
a glance that said all that was necessary
: to express oneself : speak
1
: an expression of opinion
had my say
2
: a right or power to influence action or decision
especially
: the authority to make final decisions
3
archaic
: something that is said : statement
1
: about, approximately
the property is worth, say, four million dollars
2
: for example : as
if we compress any gas, say oxygen
Synonyms
Examples of say in a Sentence
Verb
“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.
Noun
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.
Adverb
a person consumes, say, 2000 calories a day
Recent Examples on the Web
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
Flowers said that eventually Williams' ex-wife and a friend of his sister — who did not know each other — each came forward to say that Williams had confessed to the crime.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
Others say White Americans are the primary victims of discrimination.
—John Blake, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
But Google employees who spoke with TIME said the company has little ability to monitor what customers, especially sovereign nations like Israel, are doing on its cloud infrastructure.
—Billy Perrigo, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Finance officials said deeper cuts would be necessary the following fiscal year if voters reject the two city revenue measures.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Many employees have said the halls are too dangerous to work in.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
She’s not cowed by the polls saying a majority of Republicans believe that Joe Biden's election win in 2020 was not legitimate.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
Bargaining broke down Wednesday night, the union said.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
Anna Sago, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The budget proposal will be studied by school board members, subject to a public hearing on April 23 and a CMS vote on April 30 before heading to the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, which has the final say on funding levels.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 10 Apr. 2024
The City Council will have final say on the request.
—Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Advertising aside, Episode 8 marks the first time this season that judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie sit back and hand the reins to ABC viewers, who can have their say in who stays and who goes by texting their votes.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Schools Over Stadiums, a political action group made up of a Nevada teachers’ union, has a court date in Carson City on April 9 to finalize their petition that, with enough signatures, would give voters a say in November.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Congress would have a say in that, however, and costs could be considerable.
—Peter Grier, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
Kyle Franz was game to come along for the ride as a co-designer but as an owner/architect Koprowski would ultimately have final say.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Advocates for the statute argued that noncitizens have an interest in local issues, including schools and public safety, and should get a say in the public officials who shape those topics.
—Marisa Iati, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
In the filing, prosecutor Kari Morrissey asked that she be sentenced to the maximum — 18 months — and said that the recorded calls show her lack of contrition.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
Flowers said that eventually Williams' ex-wife and a friend of his sister — who did not know each other — each came forward to say that Williams had confessed to the crime.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
Others say White Americans are the primary victims of discrimination.
—John Blake, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
But Google employees who spoke with TIME said the company has little ability to monitor what customers, especially sovereign nations like Israel, are doing on its cloud infrastructure.
—Billy Perrigo, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Finance officials said deeper cuts would be necessary the following fiscal year if voters reject the two city revenue measures.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Many employees have said the halls are too dangerous to work in.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
She’s not cowed by the polls saying a majority of Republicans believe that Joe Biden's election win in 2020 was not legitimate.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
Bargaining broke down Wednesday night, the union said.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
Noun
And some donors that could benefit from having a say in who becomes secretary of state, like key players in the securities industry, are barred from donating based on internal rules.
—Anna Sago, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The budget proposal will be studied by school board members, subject to a public hearing on April 23 and a CMS vote on April 30 before heading to the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, which has the final say on funding levels.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 10 Apr. 2024
The City Council will have final say on the request.
—Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Advertising aside, Episode 8 marks the first time this season that judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie sit back and hand the reins to ABC viewers, who can have their say in who stays and who goes by texting their votes.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Schools Over Stadiums, a political action group made up of a Nevada teachers’ union, has a court date in Carson City on April 9 to finalize their petition that, with enough signatures, would give voters a say in November.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Congress would have a say in that, however, and costs could be considerable.
—Peter Grier, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
Kyle Franz was game to come along for the ride as a co-designer but as an owner/architect Koprowski would ultimately have final say.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Advocates for the statute argued that noncitizens have an interest in local issues, including schools and public safety, and should get a say in the public officials who shape those topics.
—Marisa Iati, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'say.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near say
Cite this Entry
“Say.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/say. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
say
1 of 3 verb1
2
a
: utter entry 2 sense 2, pronounce
can't say more than three words without laughing
b
: recite sense 1, repeat
said my prayers
3
a
: indicate sense 2, show
the clock says five minutes after ten
b
: to give expression to : communicate
the look on his face said it all
4
: suppose sense 1, assume
let's say you're right
say
2 of 3 noun1
: an expression of opinion
had my say
2
: the power to decide or help decide
had no say in the plans
say
3 of 3 adverb1
: about as much or as many as
is worth, say, ten dollars
2
: as an example
pick any state, say Iowa
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