Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use say in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb, noun, adverb

Say means to pronounce. Example: “Please say your name slowly and clearly.”

Examples of say by meaning

verbTo pronounce.

  • Please say your name slowly and clearly.

verbTo recite.

  • Martha, will you say the Pledge of Allegiance?

verbTo tell, either verbally or in writing.

  • He said he would be here tomorrow.
  • The note I think he said she wrote is nowhere to be found.
  • She was like a Beardsley Salome, he had said.1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC

verbTo indicate in a written form.

  • The sign says it’s 50 kilometres to Paris.
  • What time does it say on the clock?

verbTo have a common expression; used in singular passive voice or plural active voice to indicate a rumor or well-known...

  • They say "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", which means "behave as those around you do."

verbSuppose, assume; used to mark an example, supposition or hypothesis.

  • A holiday somewhere warm – Florida, say – would be nice.
  • Say he refuses. What do we do then?
  • Say your family is starving and you don't have any money, is it okay to steal some food?

verbTo bet as a wager on an outcome; by extension, used to express belief in an outcome by the speaker.

  • 'My fifty pounds says three months after the invasion there'll be a free press in Iraq, and unmonitored internet access too.'2005, Ian McEwan, Saturday, page 192

nounA chance to speak; the right or power to influence or make a decision.

  • The local government did not have much say in the matter.
  • Above all, however, we would like to think that there is more to be decided, after the engines and after the humans have had their says.2004, Richard Rogers, Information politics on the Web
  • He has consolidated the military's role in politics through an army-drafted 2017 constitution widely seen as designed to prevent Pheu Thai from returning to power and ensuring a continuing say for the army.2019 February 8, Kocha Olarn, Helen Regan, “This princess could be the next prime minister of Thailand”, in CNN International Edition...

More sentences with say

  • In a democratic world you'd be able to say what you thought wherever you were.From the entry able
  • This site's FAQ says you should log in to access some pages.From the entry faq
  • My aunt used to say, "One day is just like the other."From the entry one
  • When you say last Monday, do you mean the Monday just gone, or the one before that?From the entry last
  • This is a first. For once he has nothing to say.From the entry first
  • You say that all men are born equal, but here I must disagree with you.From the entry here
  • When you say next Thursday, do you mean Thursday this week or Thursday next week?From the entry next
  • Philosophers sometimes say that metaphysics is the study of the ultimate nature of the universe.From the entry metaphysics
  • Don’t just talk at someone; really listen to what they have to say.From the entry at
  • In Coventry, you will often hear people say: “Turn right at the island”.From the entry island
  • So I was right all along? C'mon. I want to hear you say it.From the entry right
  • He's a nice guy, but the cold facts say we should fire him.From the entry cold
  • Be careful what you say to him: he’s a bit of a gossip.From the entry gossip
  • If you see me, come and say hello. I don't bite.From the entry bite
  • It pains me to say that I must let you go.From the entry pain
  • You say that the president is a crook, and I certainly agree with you there.From the entry there
  • He was bent on going to Texas, but not even he could say why.From the entry bent
  • You have nothing to say about it. I'll do exactly as I see fit.From the entry fit
  • The graduation ball was the students' chance to say goodbye to each other.From the entry graduation
  • We will begin as soon as the boss says it's a go.From the entry go
  • I understand that company policy says I can't get a refund, but can you make an exception?From the entry understand
  • One day you say you love me, the next you ignore me—I don't understand you!From the entry understand
  • They say he used to be a thief, but that's just rumor.From the entry rumor
  • They say he is a poor judge of character considering all the unreliable friends he has made.From the entry judge
  • I'll put it to the committee and see what they say.From the entry put to

Meaning of say

  1. verb To pronounce.
  2. verb To recite.
  3. verb To tell, either verbally or in writing.

Full definition of say

Questions about say in a sentence

How do you use say in a sentence?
Say is used as a verb, noun and adverb. For example: “Please say your name slowly and clearly.”
What is a short sentence with say?
“He said he would be here tomorrow.”
What does say mean?
Say means to pronounce.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: say (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use say in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/say. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.