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

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 Voya says its fuel can be made from low-grade scrap aluminum, giving the system a potential route to turn an abundant waste material into a source of firm electricity. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026 Still happening, Ridley Scott says, and with Michael Fassbender’s David at the center. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026 Bridges says Parton used her stardom to put good in the world. — Tori Mason, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026 West says Gilkar and Ahmed then asked her to terminate the pregnancy. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Nate Bailey, the former head of Atlanta’s firefighter union, says he was retaliated against after advocating for better working conditions. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 20 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

Despite Bret’s passionate insistence that his classmate is a serial killer, Croft tells him Robert is a good kid from a good family and sends him back to class.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
The limited series tells the story of two sisters who go on the run after an act of vengeance goes wrong.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 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

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