What does “say” mean?
- 1
verbto speak words, or to express a thought or opinion
She said she was tired.
- 2
verbof a sign, text or clock, to give information
The label says “Keep cold”.
- 3
nounthe right to give your opinion and influence a decision
Workers want more say in how the company is run.
Say at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb & noun
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /seɪ/ · SAY
- Forms
- said, said, says
How to use “say” correctly
“Say” doesn’t need a person as object, but “tell” does: “She said that…”, “She told me that…”. To include the person, use “say to”: “say to me”. “Says” is pronounced SEZ and “said” is SED.
Common phrases with “say”
- say hello
- say sorry
- that is to say
- have a say
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Idioms with “say”
- You can say that again: Used to say that you completely agree with what someone has just said.
“say” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- ask verbA1to say or write a question to get information
- call verbA1to phone someone
- describe verbA1to say or write what someone or something is like
- draw verbA1to make a picture with a pen or pencil
- hear verbA1to notice sounds with your ears
- listen verbA1to pay attention to sounds or to what someone says
- read verbA1to look at written words and understand them
- send verbA1to make something go to a person or place, for example by mail or email