as in say
the right to express a wish, choice, or opinion
some of the members complained they didn't have any say-so in how the organization spent its funds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 say-so
In most Florida counties, property owners whose land is unincorporated but abuts a city can petition to enter the city boundaries without county government having a say-so.
—
Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2025
Never ever move money anywhere on the say-so of someone who has reached out to you by phone.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
In recognition that spending cuts cannot take place without congressional say-so, members have formed counterpart caucuses on Capitol Hill.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 17 Dec. 2024
Rhaenyra doesn’t scold Jace for treating with the Freys without her say-so, at least not much.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 14 July 2024
With that said, the steady move to USB-C actually started on Apple’s own say-so, in 2018 with the iPad Pro.
—Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2024
Political onlookers seem to think Swift has become so powerful that there’s a chance her say-so might actually swing the needle in a meaningful direction.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 12 Sep. 2024
For the first time in the United Kingdom’s history, warrants to intercept communications are subject to judicial review; previously, the executive branch could execute these on its own say-so.
—Jennifer Daskal, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2017
The severity of the crisis led Congress to appropriate $700 billion for the Troubled Asset Relief Program largely on the say-so of the Bush administration.
—Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2014
Recent Examples of Synonyms for say-so
Noun
-
The decision to give voters a say on the sale came as part of a winding saga that included an effort from citizens to halt the sale through the petition process and an appeal by Brown to the Kansas Court of Appeals, which sent the matter back to a Johnson County judge for further proceedings.—
-
The plum political prize, of course, will be deciding how congressional districts are drawn, perhaps giving this parochial court a major say in which party—and its preferred Speaker—gets to run the U.S. House.—
Noun
-
But social media companies still struggle to balance the need to police abuse on their platforms, their foundational values of giving everyone a voice and the risk of alienating some users, Massanari said.—
-
Doctors have said his voice has been weakened by his illness.—
Noun
-
Nike shares fell 14%, while both Apple and Amazon lost 9% of their value.—
-
While Intel's client business is returning to health, thanks in part to the upcoming 18A process node, Intel keeps losing share in the data center to AMD and has very little to show for its multi-billion-dollar investment in AI accelerators from its Habana Labs acquisition.—
Cite this Entry
“Say-so.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/say-so. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share