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

And at the American Express stage, the classy, Stagecoach sass of cowboy boots and hats swaying to American superstar Chris Stapleton. —Mars Salazar, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Oct. 2024

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

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