say
express in words
How often you will meet it
Rank 106 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 240,784 times across 155,370 chapters — 0.114% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 500 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
verb
- express in words also: state, tell He said that he wanted to marry hertell me what is bothering you
- report or maintain also: allege, aver He alleged that he was the victim of a crimeHe said it was too late to intervene in the war
- express a supposition also: suppose Let us say that he did not tell the truthLet's say you had a lot of money--what would you do?
- have or contain a certain wording or form also: read The passage reads as followsWhat does the law say?
- give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority also: order, tell, enjoin I said to him to go homeShe ordered him to do the shopping
- speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way also: pronounce, articulate, enounce, sound out, enunciate She pronounces French words in a funny wayI cannot say `zip wire'
say in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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To any other man I should have had more to say.
The Betrayal · E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim · Chapter 1
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Full glad would I be, Might I kneel on my knee, Some word to say to that Child.
The White Christmas and other Merry · Walter Ben Hare · Chapter 1
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How far this was a popular superstition, and to what length his learning went, it is impossible to say.
Christian's Mistake · Dinah Maria Mulock Craik · Chapter 1
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He knocked his shins badly on a quite visible railing and it was out of the question to say a single word.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1
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It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1