- the act of one who says
- something said; esp., an adage, proverb, or maxim
A heartwarming saying by Lucy from the comic strip Peanuts: "Happiness is a warm puppy"
- The definition of a saying is something that has been said, like a motto or catch phrase.
An example of a saying is this quote by John F. Kennedy "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."
- Saying means telling.
An example of saying is telling someone what happened yesterday.
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Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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saying
noun
Something, such as an adage or maxim, that is said.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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saying
saying maxim adage saw 2motto epigram proverb aphorism
These nouns refer to concise verbal expressions setting forth wisdom or a truth. A saying is an often repeated and familiar expression: a collection of philosophical sayings. Maxim denotes particularly an expression of a general truth or a rule of conduct: “For a wise man, he seemed to me … to be governed too much by general maxims” (Edmund Burke). Adage applies to a saying that has gained credit through long use: a gift that gave no credence to the adage, “Good things come in small packages.” Saw often refers to a familiar saying that has become trite through frequent repetition: old saws that gave little comfort to the losing team. A motto expresses the aims, character, or guiding principles of a person, group, or institution: “Exuberance over taste” is my motto. An epigram is a witty expression, often paradoxical or satirical and neatly or brilliantly phrased: In his epigram Samuel Johnson called remarriage a “triumph of hope over experience.” Proverb refers to an old and popular saying that illustrates something such as a basic truth or a practical precept: “Slow and steady wins the race” is a proverb to live by. Aphorism, denoting a concise expression of a truth or principle, implies depth of content and stylistic distinction: Few writers have coined more aphorisms than Benjamin Franklin.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"Saying." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/SAYING.
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Saying. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/SAYING
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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"Saying." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/SAYING.
APA Style
Saying. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/SAYING
