SAYS Synonyms: 176 Similar and Opposite Words

says 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of say

as in tells

to express (a thought or emotion) in words why don't you just say what's on your mind?

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in expresses

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

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as in recites

to give from memory say your prayers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reads

as in assumes

to take as true or as a fact without actual proof let's say, for the sake of argument, that this is true

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

says

2 of 2

noun

plural of say

as in shares

the right to express a wish, choice, or opinion even if they decide otherwise, at least I had my say

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of says

Verb

Martin Zummach, an attorney who represents the officer who fired the shot that killed Kohen, says the attorney general's findings cleared his client of criminal wrongdoing. — Sophie Bates, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026 For developers managing a mix of AC and DC loads, Inam says the device collapses a number of machines—including a rectifier, an inverter, backup power and energy management—into a single unit four feet square and 12 feet high. — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 Powell says Adidas, which has found enormous success tweaking its classic models, can serve as a model for Converse. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 Russia says Ukraine deliberately blocks supplies and evacuations; Kyiv counters that Moscow is effectively holding civilians hostage. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Kodiak says the vehicle still has to get itself into a safe state. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 The game will be playable on the iPhone 11 and 3rd generation iPad Air and above, and the studio says that the download comes in at a surprisingly scant 5GB. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026

Noun

The idea, Was says, was to focus on Weir’s songs and the characters in them rather than on the jammy side of the Dead. — David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026 It was given a 60 percent chance of cyclone formation through seven says—a 10- percentage-point increase over the previous day. — Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025 But today, the 42-year-old says, time would be better spent studying a more niche topic intertwined with AI, like AI for biology—or maybe not a degree at all. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for says

Verb

Nouraei tells her patients and clients, however, that the safest way to start taking creatine would be incrementally, beginning with three grams daily for a week, then four, then to five.

— Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
But for this initial step, Pierre tells mature patients to find a formula that’s gentle, non-irritating, and—if needed—able to remove makeup.

— Jenny Berg, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of tells

Verb

At its core, gifting expresses human relationships, and receiving an item specifically chosen from a personal wish list delivers a far better experience than a surprise generated by an algorithm.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Anyone who expresses admiration, positivity, or sympathy for Art of Play is getting attacked by trolls.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of expresses

Verb

Lucas recites his spooky little tale in front of a binaural mic shaped like a human head, whose features resemble more than a little the Art Deco lines of an Oscar statuette.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
After solving the mystery of his predecessor Hal Jordan’s (Kyle Chandler) death, Stewart claims Jordan’s power ring as his own, recites his oath and jets off toward his next adventure.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of recites

Verb

This implicit passivity assumes that technology, rather than people, will determine AI’s impact on work.

— Byron Auguste, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
In the novel, likewise, the narrator assumes an almost Homeric guise, comparing current harbor gossip to chatter from the Phoenician, Cretan, Greek, and Roman eras.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of assumes

Noun

That news knocked about 5% off its shares on July 27 and sent the cost of insuring its debt sharply higher.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
The Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners are the sole holders of Skydance’s Class A stock, giving them 100% control the voting shares.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of shares

Verb

Rao wrote and co-produced the comedy, and nobody in it utters a line.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
Over the course of Decay, Godflesh‘s 10th and supposedly penultimate album, frontman Justin Broadrick utters less than 150 words total in just 42 minutes.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of utters

Verb

In big cities, people like this tend to pay rent, which often puts them—to borrow some Marxist terminology—in an antagonistic relationship with the local petite bourgeoisie.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
As Hal puts it the next morning, the chilling effect is very effective.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026