say

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1. In ordinary use say occurs as a noun only in the expression have a say (or variants of it such as have a bigger say).

2. The use of say as an imperative in uses such as

Let's meet soon—say next Friday is an established idiom.

3. The participial phrase having said that has acquired a grammatically free status similar to phrases introduced by considering, seeing, etc. (see participles 4). The participle does not always agree with the (typically following) subject of the sentence, as it does in the first example but not in the second:

Having said that, I must say her depiction of what happened made me view Polanski with much more 'critical' eyes—D. Poland, American English 2003

There are times when the film...goes for the teen market with a lot of bad language and some silly, toilet humour. But having said that there are some clever in-jokes and many funny cameos—film review website, British English 2004 [Old English (up to 1150)C].

This grammatically loose structure is generally acceptable (especially in spoken English), but should be avoided in more formal or serious writing.

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verb

1. To produce or make (speech sounds): articulate, enunciate, pronounce, utter¹, vocalize. See words.
2. To put into words: articulate, communicate, convey, declare, express, state, talk, tell, utter¹, vent, verbalize, vocalize, voice. Idioms: givetongueventvoiceto. See words.
3. To put into words positively and with conviction: affirm, allege, argue, assert, asseverate, aver, avouch, avow, claim, contend, declare, hold, maintain, state. Idioms: have it. See affirm/deny/argue.

noun

The right or chance to express an opinion or participate in a decision: suffrage, voice, vote. Informal say-so. See participate/abstain.

Idioms beginning with say:
say the word
say a mouthful
say grace
says who

See also 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. Also see under said.

v

Definition: make declaration
Antonyms: ask, question, request

1. To type to a terminal. “To list a directory verbosely, you have to say ls -l.” Tends to imply a newline-terminated command (a ‘sentence’).

2. A computer may also be said to ‘say’ things to you, even if it doesn't have a speech synthesizer, by displaying them on a terminal in response to your commands. Hackers find it odd that this usage confuses mundanes.

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IN BRIEF: Speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way.

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. — Anais Nin (1903-1977), American-French writer.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

sign description: The index finger makes a small circular motion in front of the mouth.

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For a list of words related to say, see:

• Approximations and Generalizations
• Modes and Manners of Expression - say: express in words; state opinion or belief; utter or pronounce

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See words rhyming with "Sayers."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Say.

Common misspelling(s) of says

• syas
• sasy

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - sige, udtale, erklære, fremsige
v. intr. - tale, udtale sig
int. - for eksempel, lad os sige, nej hør nu, altså
n. - afgørende ord, tur
adv. - cirka, omtrent

idioms:

• have a say    have et ord at skulle have sagt
• have something to say for oneself    have noget at sige til sit forsvar
• How say you?    Hvad er juryens kendelse
• I'll say    det kan nok være, du kan lige tro
• it is said    det siges
• let's say    lad os sige
• say much for    sige meget om
• say nothing of    for ikke at tale om
• say the least    mildest talt
• say when    du kan selv sige stop
• says you    det siger du jo
• shall we say    skal vi sige
• so to say    så at sige
• that is to say    det vil sige, altså
• when all is said and done    til syvende og sidst
• you can say that again    det kan du bande på
• you don't say    det siger du ikke

Nederlands (Dutch)
zeggen, (uit)spreken, stel dat, zeggenschap, inspraak

Français (French)
v. tr. - dire, dire (que), exprimer, indiquer, signifier, deviner, supposer que, mettre que
v. intr. - dire, (GB) écouter (arch)
int. - écoute (excl), dis-donc!
n. - voix au chapitre, (fig) mot à dire, poids, influence
adv. - disons, admettons que, mettons

idioms:

• have a say    avoir son mot à dire
• have something to say for oneself    avoir quelque chose à dire comme excuse/pour sa défense
• How say you?    comment dites-vous?
• I have to say    Je dois dire, Je dois reconnaître
• I say    écoute (excl)
• I'll say    je dirai, et comment!
• it is said    on dit
• let's say    disons
• not to say    pour ne pas dire
• say much for    en dire long sur
• say when    vous me direz où ... (en servant une boisson)
• says you    c'est vous qui le dites, que tu dis (excl)
• shall we say    disons, mettons
• so to say    pour ainsi dire
• that is to say    c'est-à-dire
• that said    cela dit
• they say    on dit
• to say nothing of    sans compter que, sans parler de, sans parler du fait que
• to say the least    c'est le moins qu'on puisse dire
• when all is said and done    au bout du compte, tout compte fait
• you can say that again    pouvez-vous répéter cela ?
• you don't say    sans blague (excl), pas possible (excl)
• you said it!    tu l'as dit (excl)

Deutsch (German)
v. - sagen, sprechen, aufsagen, anzeigen, angenommen, daß
n. - Meinung, Mitspracherecht, feiner Wollstoff
int. - hallo, ich muß schon sagen
adv. - ungefähr, zum Beispiel

idioms:

• have a say    Mitspracherecht haben
• have something to say for oneself    nicht viel reden od. sagen
• How say you?    Wie lautet Ihr Urteil?
• I have to say    etwas zu sagen haben
• I say    ich meine ... (ugs.)
• I'll say    und wie!
• it is said    man sagt
• let's say    sagen wir mal
• not to say    um nicht zu sagen...
• say much for    sehr für jmdn./etwas sprechen
• say when    stopp sagen
• says you    ich bin da aber anderer Meinung
• shall we say    sagen wir mal
• so to say    so zu sagen
• that is to say    das heißt
• that said    abgesehen davon
• they say    man sagt, dass..., es heißt, dass ...
• to say nothing of    nicht von etwas sagen, schweigen
• to say the least    gelinde gesagt
• when all is said and done    letzen Endes
• you can say that again    das kannst du laut sagen
• you don't say    was du nicht sagst
• you said it!    das kannst du laut sagen (ugs.)

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - λέγω, φρονώ, δηλώνω, απαγγέλλω, εκτιμώ, ισχυρίζομαι, ας πούμε
n. - απόφθεγμα, λόγος, γνώμη
int. - έι!, ας πούμε
adv. - ας πούμε

idioms:

• have a say    μου πέφτει λόγος
• have something to say for oneself    έχω να πω (για να δικαιολογηθώ)
• How say you?    (νομ.) (προς τους ενόρκους) ποια είναι η ετυμηγορία σας;
• I'll say    βεβαιότατα!, ούτε λόγος!
• it is said    λέγεται (ότι)
• let's say    ας πούμε
• say much for    είμαι αποκαλυπτικός
• say nothing of    δεν κάνω (καθόλου) λόγο για, άσε πια...
• say the least    τουλάχιστο
• say when    πες μου πότε να σταματήσω (να γεμίζω ποτήρι)
• says you    έτσι νομίζεις
• shall we say    να πούμε...
• so to say    τρόπος του λέγειν
• that is to say    δηλαδή
• when all is said and done    σε τελευταία ανάλυση
• you can say that again    γεια στο στόμα σου!
• you don't say    μη μου πεις!

Italiano (Italian)
diciamo, ammettiamo che, facciamo finta che, esprimere, dire, voce in capitolo, eh!

idioms:

• have a say    avere voce in capitolo
• How say you?    qual'è il verdetto?
• I'll say    certamente
• it is said    si dice
• let's say    ammettiamo
• say for oneself    prendere la parola
• say much for    esaltare
• say nothing of    per non parlare di
• say the least    dire il minimo
• say when    dire quando
• says you    dici tu/dice lei
• shall we say    diciamo
• that is to say    cioè
• when all is said and done    in conclusione, in fin dei conti
• you can say that again    puoi ben dirlo
• you don't say    davvero, figurati!

Português (Portuguese)
v. - dizer
n. - ocasião de falar (m), fala (f), voz ativa (f)
int. - escute!

idioms:

• have a say    ter voz ativa
• How say you?    O que você diz?
• I'll say    eu direi
• it is said    é dito
• let's say    vamos dizer que
• say for oneself    dizer para si mesmo
• say much for    indica elogio por algo/alguém
• say nothing of    não dizer nada sobre
• say the least    no mínimo
• say when    diga quando
• says you    isto diz você
• shall we say    vamos dizer que
• that is to say    isto quer dizer que
• when all is said and done    quando tudo é dito e feito
• you can say that again    você pode dizer isto novamente
• you don't say    não diga

Русский (Russian)
говорить, сказать, выражать, утверждать (что), сообщать, говориться, высказывать мнение полагать, читать наизусть, приводить доводы, декламировать, предполагать, слово, мнение, высказывание, авторитет, влияние, приблизительно, например

idioms:

• have a say    иметь право окончательно решать что-л., иметь решающий голос
• How say you?    Огласите ваш вердикт
• I'll say    конечно, еще как, еще бы
• it is said    говорят, сообщают, утверждают
• let's say    скажем, например, к примеру сказать, примерно
• say for oneself    рассказывать кое-что о себе
• say much for    свидетельствовать, говорить в пользу
• say nothing of    не говоря (уже)(о чем-л.)
• say the least    мягко говоря, по меньшей мере
• say when    скажите, когда довольно
• says you    как бы не так!, еще чего скажешь!
• shall we say    может быть
• that is to say    то есть, другими словами, иначе говоря
• when all is said and done    в общем, в конце концов, в конечном счете
• you can say that again    действительно! поистине это так!
• you don't say    не может быть

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - expresar, opinar, decir, afirmar, declarar, recitar, rezar, contar, referir
v. intr. - expresar, opinar, decir, hablar
int. - ¡oye!, ¡oiga!
n. - voto, opinión, ¡oye!, ¡oiga!, dicho, afirmación, aserto, turno para hablar
adv. - aproximadamente

idioms:

• have a say    tener influencia en las decisiones
• have something to say for oneself    decir algo para defenderse
• How say you?    fórmula para preguntar a un jurado cuál es su veredicto
• I have to say    debo mencionar
• I say    yo digo
• I'll say    seguro, por supuesto
• it is said    dice que..., se dice que...
• let's say    supongamos o digamos que
• not to say    sin hablar de..., sin mencionar...
• say much for    dice mucho de
• say when    decir hasta cuándo (servir bebida o comida)
• says you    dices tú
• shall we say    digamos...
• so to say    por decirlo
• that is to say    es decir, o sea
• that said    dicho eso, habiendo dejado eso en claro
• they say    se rumorea
• to say nothing of    sin mencionar, sin hablar de, sin referirse a
• to say the least    para no decir otra cosa peor, por no decir más
• when all is said and done    al fin y al cabo
• you can say that again    ¡dímelo a mí!
• you don't say    ¡no me diga!, ¡no es posible!
• you said it!    eso es!, tú lo dijiste!

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - säga, yttra, förklara, påstå, uppge, läsa, be, stå
n. - mening
int. - nå hör du, jag måste då säga att, nej men
adv. - sådär, ungefärligen

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
说, 讲, 说明, 讲述, 表明, 指明, 发表意见, 喂, 哎呀, 话语, 发言权, 想说的意见, 大约, 约莫, 例如

idioms:

• have a say    有发言权
• have something to say for oneself    为自己辩解
• How say you?    诸位高见如何?
• I'll say    我敢说, 当然
• it is said    据说
• let's say    比如说, 大约
• say much for    说...质量极好
• say nothing of    更不用说
• say the least    至少要说
• say when    请到时关照一声
• says you    你说的
• shall we say    比如说
• so to say    可以说, 可以说是
• that is to say    即, 那就是说
• when all is said and done    毕竟, 结果
• you can say that again    我同意你
• you don't say    不见得吧

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 說, 講, 說明, 講述, 表明, 指明
v. intr. - 說, 講, 發表意見
int. - 喂, 哎呀
n. - 話語, 發言權, 想說的意見
adv. - 大約, 約莫, 例如

idioms:

• have a say    有發言權
• have something to say for oneself    為自己辯解
• How say you?    諸位高見如何?
• I'll say    我敢說, 當然
• it is said    據說
• let's say    比如說, 大約
• say much for    說...質量極好
• say nothing of    更不用說
• say the least    至少要說
• say when    請到時關照一聲
• says you    你說的
• shall we say    比如說
• so to say    可以說, 可以說是
• that is to say    即, 那就是說
• when all is said and done    畢竟, 結果
• you can say that again    我同意你
• you don't say    不見得吧

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - ~을 말하다, (어떤 일을) 가정하다, 평판하다
v. intr. - 의견을 말하다, 여보세요
int. - 여보세요, 자!
n. - 해야 할 말, 발언할 기회, 속담
adv. - 예를 들면, 약

idioms:

• have a say    말할 권리가 있다, 발언권이 있다
• have something to say for oneself    ~에 관계가 있다, ~에 할 말이 있다
• say much for    ~을 크게 칭찬하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 言う, 述べる, 誦する, 伝える, 表わしている, 命ずる, すれば, 意見を述べる, しゃべる, ねえ
n. - 言いたいこと, 言い分, 発言権, 決定権, セイ
adv. - たとえば, まあ…ぐらい

idioms:

• have a say    話をする
• I'll say    そうですとも全くだ
• it is said    と言われる
• let's say    たとえば
• say for oneself    弁解する
• say much for    高く評価する, ほめる
• say nothing of    は言うまでもない
• say one's piece    思ったことを言う
• say the least    控えめに言う
• say the word    命令する, そうだと言う
• say when    いつがいいのか
• says you    本当なのか
• that is to say    すなわち
• that is to say    すなわち
• to say the least    控えめに言っても
• you can say that again    いかにも君の言う通りだ
• you don't say    まさか本当ですか

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يتلو, يقول (الاسم) ألكلمه ألاخيرة, فرصه للتعبير عن رأيء (نداء) يلفظ (ظرف) حوالي, تقريبا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮אמר, דיבר, הביע, העריך, שיער, חשב‬
v. intr. - ‮אמר, דיבר, הביע, העריך, שיער, חשב‬
int. - ‮נניח‬
n. - ‮הבעת דיעה, זכות דיבור‬
adv. - ‮לדוגמה‬

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