SAY (said)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does say mean? 

• SAY (noun)
  The noun SAY has 1 sense:

1. the chance to speak

  Familiarity information: SAY used as a noun is very rare.

• SAY (verb)
  The verb SAY has 11 senses:

1. express in words

2. report or maintain

3. express a supposition

4. have or contain a certain wording or form

5. give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority

6. speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way

7. communicate or express nonverbally

8. utter aloud

9. state as one's opinion or judgement; declare

10. recite or repeat a fixed text

11. indicate

  Familiarity information: SAY used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SAY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The chance to speak

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

let him have his say

Hypernyms ("say" is a kind of...):

chance; opportunity (a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances)

Derivation:

say (express in words)

say (state as one's opinion or judgement; declare)

say (report or maintain)

• SAY (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Express in words

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

say; state; tell

Context example:

state your name

Hypernyms (to "say" is one way to...):

express; give tongue to; utter; verbalise; verbalize (articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise)

Verb group:

say (state as one's opinion or judgement; declare)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "say"):

sum; sum up; summarise; summarize (be a summary of)

misstate (state something incorrectly)

give (convey or reveal information)

explain (define)

add; append; supply (state or say further)

mention; note; observe; remark (make mention of)

declare (make a declaration (of dutiable goods) to a customs official)

declare (state emphatically and authoritatively)

get out (express with difficulty)

articulate; enunciate; vocalise; vocalize (express or state clearly)

announce; declare (announce publicly or officially)

introduce; precede; preface; premise (furnish with a preface or introduction)

answer; reply; respond (react verbally)

lay out; present; represent (bring forward and present to the mind)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

say (the chance to speak)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Report or maintain

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

allege; aver; say

Context example:

The registrar says that I owe the school money

Hypernyms (to "say" is one way to...):

assert; asseverate; maintain (state categorically)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "say"):

plead (make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding, especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence example:

They say that there was a traffic accident

Derivation:

say (the chance to speak)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Express a supposition

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

say; suppose

Context example:

Let's say you had a lot of money--what would you do?

Hypernyms (to "say" is one way to...):

speculate (talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 4

Meaning:

Have or contain a certain wording or form

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

read; say

Context example:

What does the law say?

Hypernyms (to "say" is one way to...):

feature; have (have as a feature)

Verb group:

read (interpret something that is written or printed)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Something ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

enjoin; order; say; tell

Context example:

The mother told the child to get dressed

Hypernyms (to "say" is one way to...):

request (ask (a person) to do something)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "say"):

instruct (give instructions or directions for some task)

command; require (make someone do something)

call; send for (order, request, or command to come)

warn (ask to go away)

prescribe ((medicine) order the use of (a treatment, medicine, etc.), usually by written prescription)

direct (command with authority)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 6

Meaning:

Speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

articulate; enounce; enunciate; pronounce; say; sound out

Context example:

Can the child sound out this complicated word?

"Say" entails doing...:

mouth; speak; talk; utter; verbalise; verbalize (express in speech)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "say"):

syllabise; syllabize (utter with distinct articulation of each syllable)

accent; accentuate; stress (put stress on; utter with an accent)

drawl (lengthen and slow down or draw out)

labialise; labialize; round (pronounce with rounded lips)

lisp (speak with a lisp)

vocalise; vocalize; vowelise; vowelize (pronounce as a vowel)

click (produce a click)

trill (pronounce with a trill, of the phoneme 'r')

sibilate (pronounce with an initial sibilant)

flap (pronounce with a flap, of alveolar sounds)

explode (cause to burst as a result of air pressure; of stop consonants like /p/, /t/, and /k/)

roll (pronounce with a roll, of the phoneme /r/)

retroflex (articulate (a consonant) with the tongue curled back against the palate)

subvocalise; subvocalize (articulate without making audible sounds)

twang (pronounce with a nasal twang)

devoice (utter with tense vocal chords)

raise (pronounce (vowels) by bringing the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth)

lilt (articulate in a very careful and rhythmic way)

palatalise; palatalize (pronounce a consonant with the tongue against the palate)

nasalise; nasalize (pronounce with a lowered velum)

nasalise; nasalize (speak nasally or through the nose)

mispronounce; misspeak (pronounce a word incorrectly)

aspirate (pronounce with aspiration; of stop sounds)

sound; vocalise; vocalize; voice (utter with vibrating vocal chords)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 7

Meaning:

Communicate or express nonverbally

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

Did his face say anything about how he felt?

Hypernyms (to "say" is one way to...):

convey ((of information) make known; pass on)

Verb group:

say (indicate)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 8

Meaning:

Utter aloud

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

She said 'Hello' to everyone in the office

Hypernyms (to "say" is one way to...):

express; give tongue to; utter; verbalise; verbalize (articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 9

Meaning:

State as one's opinion or judgement; declare

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

I say let's forget this whole business

Verb group:

say; state; tell (express in words)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

say (the chance to speak)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Recite or repeat a fixed text

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

She said her 'Hail Mary'

Hypernyms (to "say" is one way to...):

recite (repeat aloud from memory)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

saying (a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Indicate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

The clock says noon

Hypernyms (to "say" is one way to...):

read; record; register; show (indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments)

Verb group:

say (communicate or express nonverbally)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

 Context examples 

Ah! said the young man, that would be a great thing, but how can you contrive it?

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

As they gathered about the table, Mrs. March said, with a particularly happy face, "I've got a treat for you after supper."

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

"First time I ever heard you say anything about their not bein' wise."

(White Fang, by Jack London)

“If you’re eating chocolate, make sure to watch the calorie content, the fat content and the sugar content,” Su says.

(Can Chocolate Really Be Good for You?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

You won't believe a word he says—I'm sure I don't wonder.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

When Boq saw her silver shoes he said, "You must be a great sorceress."

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

If you have Addison disease, you should carry an emergency ID. It should say that you have the disease, list your medicines and say how much you need in an emergency.

(Addison Disease, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

They may say they're in a bad mood.

(Mood Disorders, NIH)

Has he/she said that family members are not who they say they are or that the house is not their home?

(NPI - Have Beliefs That You Know are Not True, NCI Thesaurus)

"Wicked and cruel boy!" I said.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)