say for
idiom
—used with words such as something, little, a lot, etc., to show that someone or something does or does not deserve to be praised, admired, etc.
It says a lot for her that she stayed in the game even though she was injured.
The students' low test scores don't say much for the education they're receiving.
Examples of say for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Waymo may have been responsible for three other crashes—there wasn’t enough information to say for certain.
—
ArsTechnica, 27 Mar. 2025
No one can say for sure which camp is right and which one is wrong.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
All three are available for a limited time, though Popeyes didn’t say for how long.
—Tanasia Kenney, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2025
Citrus lime shrimp are available for a limited time, though Qdoba didn’t say for how long.
—Tanasia Kenney, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2025
The researchers, however, cannot say for sure what species the hominins were.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025
Poles can’t say for certain if Johnson has all that in him.
—Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
No one can say for sure how this is going to affect the populace on a near-term and long-term basis.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
The answer is that no one can say for sure what will happen.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
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.
ArsTechnica, 27 Mar. 2025
No one can say for sure which camp is right and which one is wrong.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
All three are available for a limited time, though Popeyes didn’t say for how long.
—Tanasia Kenney, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2025
Citrus lime shrimp are available for a limited time, though Qdoba didn’t say for how long.
—Tanasia Kenney, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2025
The researchers, however, cannot say for sure what species the hominins were.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025
Poles can’t say for certain if Johnson has all that in him.
—Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
No one can say for sure how this is going to affect the populace on a near-term and long-term basis.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
The answer is that no one can say for sure what will happen.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Say for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/say%20for. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share