Also spelled sayin and sez

US /seɪ/ UK /seɪ/
noun verb Freq #95

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    To speak words; to tell something in speech or writing.

    He said he would be here tomorrow.

  2. 2
    verb

    To pronounce a word or sound.

    Please say your name slowly and clearly.

  3. 3
    verb

    To show information in a written or printed form.

    The sign says it is fifty kilometres to Paris.

  4. 4
    verb

    To suppose something for the sake of argument.

    Let us say that they did not tell the truth.

  5. 5
    noun

    The right or chance to give your opinion or influence a decision.

    Everyone should have a say in how the money is spent.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
4 verb · to suppose something for... suppose
Opposites
Word family
Forms saithsays
Derived forms againsaybesaydare-saydare-sayingdaresaydessaydoomsayingendsayforesayforsaygainsaymissay
Related forms hearsay

Common collocations

Etymology

From Middle English seyen, seien, seggen, from Old English seċġan (“to say, speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *saggjan, from Proto-Germanic *sagjaną (“to say”), from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷ-h₁-yé-, a suffixed o-grade form of *sekʷ- (“to say”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sai, seede, sii, sjide, sooi, säie (“to say”), West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Alemannic German ŝchége, ŝchegi, séege, säge, sägä (“to say”), Bavarian sogn, soon, sågn (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Low German seggen (“to say, tell”), Luxembourgish soen (“to say”), Yiddish זאָגן (zogn, “…

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Topics

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