sass

1 of 2

noun

ˈsas 

1

informal

a

: impudent speech : back talk

She takes no sass from her students.

b

: bold rudeness or impertinence especially when considered playful, appealing, or courageous

It is all dished out by combat-ready waitresses whose borscht belt sass lends extra spice to the meal.

—Jane and Michael Stern

… Ferraro showed off her sass. She critiqued President Reagan by name with a series of crowd pleasing one-liners.

—Kathy Kiely

2

informal : an appealingly exciting, lively, or spirited quality

… Mick Jagger's recent solo may be high on style and sass, but it's tough to beat Talk Is Cheap for real primitive cool.

—David Fricke

As they have for a decade, the international wealthy favor New York City for its comparative safety and social sass.

—J. D. Reed

Like a vintage jazz tune, fine Scotch delivers smooth flavor and sass.

—Audarshia Townsend

sass

2 of 2

verb

sassed; sassing; sasses

transitive verb

: to talk impudently or disrespectfully to

Synonyms

Noun

• back talk
• backchat
• cheek
• impertinence
• impudence
• insolence
• mouth
• sauce

Examples of sass in a Sentence

Noun

an old-fashioned diner where getting sass from the waitstaff is part of the experience

Verb

He got drunk and sassed a cop.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Ernie slowly made his way up the stairs with a little sass in his walk, still ensuring his stick hit every support of the railing. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

This season's contestants include Jamie Oliver's biggest fan, a Sri Lankan Australian with a knack for spice and sass, and a man who had a close encounter with a crocodile and lived to tell the tale. —Keryn Donnelly, refinery29.com, 22 Apr. 2024

Verb

Often, vaudeville routines co-starred zany Hebrew comediennes, who sassed and scolded their counterparts, rebuffing Abie Cohen’s advances in favor of Irishmen or Italians. —Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2023

Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo and Lisa easily nailed a mix of Coachella cool and K-pop razzle-dazzle, stomping and sassing beneath a towering temple roof and making the most of the gigantic stage. —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of sauce entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1856, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

sass

verb

ˈsas

: to reply to in a rude disrespectful way

sass noun informal