Synonyms of say

say 1 of 3

verb

ˈsā 

1

as in to tell

to express (a thought or emotion) in words

why don't you just say what's on your mind?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tell
• talk
• utter
• speak
• discuss
• share
• state
• give
• verbalize
• articulate
• announce
• put
• vocalize
• bring out
• enunciate
• shout
• pass
• put into words
• look
• publish
• post
• proclaim
• voice
• affirm
• declare
• whisper
• blurt
• sound
• assert
• advertise
• word
• phrase
• ventilate
• allege
• publicize
• get off
• comment
• mouth
• promulgate
• aver
• air
• avow
• vent
• breathe
• remark
• gasp
• blabber
• murmur
• formulate
• broadcast
• lip
• chirp
• shoot
• blaze
• spout
• avouch
• bolt
• couch
• clothe
• rip (out)
• snarl
• purr
• drawl
• splutter
• formulize
• pipe up (with)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suppress
• stifle

2

as in to express

to convey in appropriate or telling terms

I'm not quite sure how to say this, but that's the worst essay I've ever read

Synonyms & Similar Words

• express
• phrase
• put
• word
• articulate
• state
• describe
• formulate
• tell
• suggest
• couch
• clothe
• imply
• summarize
• translate
• speak
• hint
• disclose
• paraphrase
• restate
• craft
• rephrase
• communicate
• talk
• utter
• insinuate
• verbalize
• intimate
• reword
• frame
• render
• vocalize
• write up

3

as in to recite

to give from memory

say your prayers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• recite
• memorize
• repeat
• speak
• learn
• study
• reel off
• mouth
• con
• declaim
• orate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• read

4

as in to assume

to take as true or as a fact without actual proof

let's say, for the sake of argument, that this is true

Synonyms & Similar Words

• assume
• presume
• believe
• think
• suppose
• guess
• conclude
• hypothesize
• postulate
• figure
• accept
• presuppose
• insist
• imagine
• dream
• take for granted
• suspect
• premise
• speculate
• hypothecate
• infer
• claim
• surmise
• declare
• deduce
• swallow
• judge
• perceive
• credit
• reckon
• conjecture
• assert
• maintain
• contend
• gather
• affirm
• conceive
• theorize
• suspicion
• take
• fancy
• allege
• profess
• aver
• avow
• preconceive
• avouch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• doubt
• question
• wonder (about)
• challenge
• disagree (with)
• deny
• dispute
• disbelieve
• discredit
• discount
• reject
• distrust
• controvert
• disclaim
• repudiate
• disavow
• refute
• mistrust
• disprove
• rebut
• disown
• belie
• confute

say

2 of 3

adverb

as in about

close to but not exactly

a person consumes, say, 2000 calories a day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• about
• approximately
• roughly
• like
• around
• some
• much
• after a fashion
• plus or minus
• generally
• somewhere about
• nearly
• more or less
• near
• somewhere around
• loosely
• practically
• virtually
• nominally
• well-nigh
• kind of

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• precisely
• exactly
• even
• just
• sharp
• due
• squarely
• smack-dab

say

3 of 3

noun

as in share

the right to express a wish, choice, or opinion

even if they decide otherwise, at least I had my say

Synonyms & Similar Words

• share
• voice
• vote
• opinion
• role
• say-so
• part
• belief
• sentiment
• franchise
• conviction
• suffrage
• view
• ballot
• judgment
• enfranchisement

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of say

Verb

Hinson said the bill’s reductions to Medicaid spending for Iowa will be offset by the Rural Health Transformation Program, which allots $50 billion divided among all 50 states over the next five years. — Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026

Tropical Storm Isaias could strike the northern Gulf Coast — potentially the Florida Panhandle — on Saturday as a top-end Category 2, or maybe even a major hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Adverb

The result has been a group of ridiculously talented dancers with a never-say-quit attitude and a lot of stuff to say — and doing it elegantly. — Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026

Noun

If risk is structural, sitting in the shape of the debt itself, the response has to happen at underwriting, long before the market has any say in the outcome. — Khalifa Aldhaheri, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

These developments have in turn led Wall Street to take retail more seriously, including by letting Robinhood come to the table as an underwriter, a role that gives it a say in the IPO process and also a cut of the fees (albeit a very small one). — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing say

• needless to say
• say uncle