verb, said, say⋅ing, adverb, noun, interjection | 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. |
| 10. | to speak; declare; express an opinion. |
| 11. | approximately; about: It's, say, 14 feet long. |
| 12. | for example: If you serve, say tuna fish and potato chips, it will cost much less. |
| 13. | what a person says or has to say. |
| 14. | the right or opportunity to speak, decide, or exercise influence: to have one's say in choosing the candidate. |
| 15. | a turn to say something: It is now my say. |
| 16. | (used to express surprise, get attention, etc.) |
| 17. | that is to say, that is what is meant; in other words: I believe his account of the story, that is to say, I have no reason to doubt it. |
| 1. | Jean Bap⋅tiste [zhahn ba-teest] , 1767–1832, French economist. Compare Say's law. |
| 2. | Thomas, 1787–1834, U.S. entomologist. |
say
A human may "say" things to a computer by typing them on a terminal. "To list a directory verbosely, say "ls -l"." Tends to imply a newline-terminated command (a "sentence").
A computer may "say" things to you, even if it doesn't have a speech synthesiser, by displaying them on a terminal in response to your commands. This usage often confuses mundanes.
[The Jargon File]
say
In addition to the idioms beginning with say, also see 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.