saying
Use Saying in a sentence
ɪŋ noun
1.
something said, especially a proverb or apothegm.
2.
go without saying, to be completely self-evident; be understood: It goes without saying that you are welcome to visit us at any time.
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verb (used with object)
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.
verb (used without object)
10.
to speak; declare; express an opinion.
adverb
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.
noun
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.
interjection
Idioms 16.
(used to express surprise, get attention, etc.)
Origin:
before 900; Middle English seyen, seggen, Old English secgan; cognate with Dutch zeggen, German sagen, Old Norse segja; akin to saw3
before 900; Middle English seyen, seggen, Old English secgan; cognate with Dutch zeggen, German sagen, Old Norse segja; akin to saw3
Related forms
say·er, noun
00:10
Saying
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To saying
Collins
World English Dictionary
say1 (seɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb , says, saying, said | |
| 1. | to speak, pronounce, or utter |
| 2. | (also intr) to express (an idea) in words; tell: we asked his opinion but he refused to say |
| 3. | (also intr; may take a clause as object) to state (an opinion, fact, etc) positively; declare; affirm |
| 4. | to recite: to say grace |
| 5. | (may take a clause as object) to report or allege: they say we shall have rain today |
| 6. | (may take a clause as object) to take as an assumption; suppose: let us say that he is lying |
| 7. | (may take a clause as object) to convey by means of artistic expression: the artist in this painting is saying that we should look for hope |
| 8. | to make a case for: there is much to be said for either course of action |
| 9. | (Irish) (usually passive) to persuade or coax (someone) to do something: If I hadn't been said by her, I wouldn't be in this fix |
| 10. | go without saying to be so obvious as to need no explanation |
| 11. | informal chiefly (Brit) I say! an exclamation of surprise |
| 12. | not to say even; and indeed |
| 13. | that is to say in other words; more explicitly |
| 14. | to say nothing of as well as; even disregarding: he was warmly dressed in a shirt and heavy jumper, to say nothing of a thick overcoat |
| 15. | to say the least without the slightest exaggeration; at the very least |
| —adv | |
| 16. | approximately: there were, say, 20 people present |
| 17. | for example: choose a number, say, four |
| —n | |
| 18. | the right or chance to speak: let him have his say |
| 19. | authority, esp to influence a decision: he has a lot of say in the company's policy |
| 20. | a statement of opinion: you've had your say, now let me have mine |
| —interj | |
| 21. | informal (US), (Canadian) an exclamation to attract attention or express surprise, etc |
| [Old English secgan; related to Old Norse segja, Old Saxon seggian, Old High German sagēn] | |
| 'sayer1 | |
| —n | |
| say2 (seɪ) | |
| —n | |
| archaic a type of fine woollen fabric | |
| [C13: from Old French saie, from Latin saga, plural of sagum a type of woollen cloak] | |
| saying (ˈseɪɪŋ) | |
| —n | |
| a maxim, adage, or proverb | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
say
O.E. secgan "to utter, say," from P.Gmc. *sagjanan (cf. O.S. seggian, O.N. segja, O.Fris. sedsa, M.Du. segghen, Du. zeggen, O.H.G. sagen, Ger. sagen "to say"), from PIE *sokei-, probably from base *seq- "point out" (cf. Hitt. shakiya- "to declare," Lith. sakyti "to say," O.C.S. sociti "to vindicate,
show," O.Ir. insce "speech," O.Latin inseque "to tell say"). Past tense said developed from O.E. segde. Not attested in use with inanimate objects (clocks, signs, etc.) as subjects before 1930. You said it "you're right" first recorded 1919; you can say that again as a phrase expressing agreement is recorded from 1942, Amer.Eng. You don't say (so) as an expression of astonishment (often ironic) is first recorded 1779, Amer.Eng.
saying
"utterance, recitation, act of the verb 'say,' " c.1300, prp. of say (v.); meaning "something that has been said" (usually by someone thought important) is from c.1300; sense of "a proverb" is first attested mid-15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
say
vt.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.
Jargon
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Example sentences
Party spokesmen refuse to describe her illness, apart from saying that she left intensive care after an operation.
Quite simply you are saying capitalism is corruption.
Barrow ends by saying that his work is not intended to revolutionize rowing tactics.
Now he is saying that he'll commit to me and make it work, and he feels bad for not giving the long distance a fair chance.
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