say (s?)v. said (s?d), say·ing, says (s?z) v.tr.1. To utter aloud; pronounce: The children said, “Good morning.”2. To express in words: Say what’s on your mind.3. a. To state as an opinion or judgment; declare: I say let’s eat out.b. To state as a determination of fact: It’s hard to say who is right in this matter.c. To report or maintain; allege: It is said he is a fraud.4. To repeat or recite: said grace.5. a. To indicate; show: The clock says half past two.b. To give nonverbal expression to; signify or embody: It was an act that said “devotion.”6. To suppose; assume: Let’s say that you’re right.v.intr. To make a statement or express an opinion or judgment: The story must be true because the teacher said so.n.1. A turn or chance to speak: Having had my say, I sat down.2. The right or power to influence or make a decision: Citizens have a say in the councils of government. All I want is some say in the matter.3. Archaic Something said; a statement.adv.1. Approximately: There were, say, 500 people present.2. For instance: a woodwind, say an oboe.interj. Used to express surprise or appeal for someone’s attention.Idioms: I say1. Used preceding an utterance to call attention to it: I say, do you have the time?2. Used as an exclamation of surprise, delight, or dismay. that is to say In other words. to say nothing of And there is no need to mention. Used to allude to things that fill out an idea or argument: The yard is a mess, to say nothing of the house. you can say that again Slang Used to express strong agreement with what has just been said.[Middle English seien, from Old English secgan; see sekw- in Indo-European roots.]say?er n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.say (se?) vb (mainly tr) , says (s?z) , saying or said1. to speak, pronounce, or utter2. (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; affirm4. 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. (usually passive) Irish 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 explanation11. I say! chiefly informal Brit an exclamation of surprise12. not to say even; and indeed13. that is to say in other words; more explicitly14. 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 leastadv16. approximately: there were, say, 20 people present. 17. for example: choose a number, say, four. n18. 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. interjinformal US and Canadian an exclamation to attract attention or express surprise, etc[Old English secgan; related to Old Norse segja, Old Saxon seggian, Old High German sag?n] ?sayer nsay (se?) n (Textiles) archaic a type of fine woollen fabric[C13: from Old French saie, from Latin saga, plural of sagum a type of woollen cloak]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014say (se?) v. said, say?ing, adv., n., interj. v.t. 1. to utter or pronounce; speak: to say a word. 2. to express in words; state; declare: Say what you think. 3. to state as an opinion or judgment: I say we should wait here. 4. to recite or repeat. 5. to report or allege; maintain. 6. to express (a message, viewpoint, etc.), as through a literary or other artistic medium. 7. to indicate or show: What does your watch say? v.i. 8. to speak; declare; express an opinion, idea, etc. adv. 9. approximately; about: It’s, say, 14 feet long. 10. for example. n. 11. what a person says or has to say. 12. the right or opportunity to state an opinion or exercise influence: to have one’s say in a decision. 13. a turn to say something. interj. 14. (used to express surprise, get attention, etc.) Idioms: go without saying, to be completely self-evident. [before 900; Middle English seyen, seggen, Old English secgan; c. Dutch zeggen, German sagen, Old Norse segja; akin to saw3] say?er, n. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.say1. ‘say’When you say something, you use your voice to produce words. The past tense and -ed participle of say is said /sed/.You use say when you are quoting directly the words that someone has spoken.In writing, you can use many other verbs instead of say when you are quoting someone’s words.In spoken English, you usually use say.Be Careful!In speech, you mention the person and say before quoting their words. Don’t say, for example, ”What shall we do?’ he said to me’ in spoken English.You can use it after said to refer to the words spoken by someone.If you are referring in a general way to what someone has expressed, rather than their actual words, use so, not ‘it’. For example, say ‘I disagree with him and I said so’. Don’t say ‘I disagree with him and I said it’.You can report what someone has said without quoting them directly using say and a that-clause.Be Careful!Don’t use ‘say’ with an indirect object. For example, don’t say ‘She said me that Mr Rai had left.’ Say ‘She said that Mr Rai had left’ or ‘She told me that Mr Rai had left.’If you are mentioning the hearer as well as the speaker, you usually use tell, rather than ‘say’. The past tense and -ed participle of tell is told. For example, instead of saying ‘I said to him that his mother had arrived’, say ‘I told him that his mother had arrived’.You say that someone tells a story, lie, or joke.Be Careful!Don’t say that someone ‘says’ a story, lie, or joke. Don’t say, for example ‘You’re saying lies now’.Don’t say that someone ‘says’ a question. Say that they ask a question.Don’t say that someone ‘says’ an order or instruction. Say that they give an order or instruction.If you want to say that someone describes someone else in a particular way, you can use say followed by a that-clause. For example, you can say ‘He said that I was a liar’. You can also say that someone calls someone something. For example, you can say ‘He called me a liar’.Don’t use say to mention what someone is discussing. Don’t say, for example, ‘He said about his business’. Say ‘He talked about his business’.When you speak, you use your voice to produce words. The past tense of speak is spoke. The -ed participle is spoken.Don’t use ‘speak’ to report what someone says. Don’t say, for example, ‘He spoke that the doctor had arrived’. Say ‘He said that the doctor had arrived’.If you mention the person who is being spoken to as well as what was said, use tell.