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

Dorsey was founded lab-grown, always marks its products as lab-grown, but has never marketed around the concept, Strachan says. — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026 Newlight says its retrofit can go onto an operating vessel within one to two weeks. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026 Minors will still be able to use filters that mimic makeup and smoothing effects, Meta says, and that as the measures roll out, what constitutes a bannable filter will come into focus. — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 2 Sep. 2026 Wired editor-in-chief Katie Drummond, whose publication led much of this coverage, says in the movie. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 Sanchez says Hot Docs is on the right track, and pointed to a successful 2026 edition, which ran from April 23 to May 3. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026 The cult member says some predictably culty things about how Thom doesn’t need his father or his friends for guidance. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026 Ukraine says goods sold by the company include equipment and technical components that are used by the Russian military. — ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026 Bridges says Parton used her stardom to put good in the world. — Tori Mason, CBS News, 26 Aug. 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

Even if newly manufactured, a Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece tells stories of centuries which makes the present that much richer.

— Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
This tells clearly who is watching over the pipeline of value creation.

— Albana Vrioni, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of tells

Verb

Linney’s Guardian tries to draw out some resentment from her new candidate, but John expresses (or feigns) sympathy for Hal, who was betrayed by his father figure Sinestro, an experience John likens to his own complicated upbringing.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Psalm 23, Biblical poem in the book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible that expresses trust and confidence in God and his care.

— Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of expresses

Verb

As the force gradually assumes responsibility for police patrols, Haitian police will be able to redeploy to support operations in Kenscoff, the international force said.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
The problem is that the stock's valuation already assumes all of that keeps going, at a moment when the growth driver behind it (the AI-era power generation boom) is facing its first regulatory pushback.

— Tony Zhang, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of assumes

Verb

In Japanese, the hero utters the name of the series to a villain in a parting one liner.

— Gene Park, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2026
At the film’s end, Abbie Cornish as Fanny hears secondhand about Keats’s death and utters a cry that is almost too much to bear — a cry that feels too real.

— Sarah Chihaya, Vulture, 16 July 2026