Meaning & use
saying
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Meaning
nouncountable
A short, familiar phrase that people repeat because it sums up a piece of wisdom or common experience.
Grammar: Counted like any noun: an old saying, a popular saying; often introduced by 'as the saying goes'.
Patterns
- as the saying goes
- an old saying
- there is a saying that something
There's an old saying that a stitch in time saves nine.
As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover.
My grandmother had a saying for every occasion.
Word forms
| plural | sayings |
|---|
Common combinations
- old saying
- The old saying warns against counting your chickens early.
- as the saying goes
- As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
- popular saying
- It is a popular saying in this part of the country.
- traditional saying
- A traditional saying tells you to look before you leap.
- favorite saying
- Her favorite saying was 'this too shall pass'.
- goes without saying
- It goes without saying that safety comes first.
Synonyms and how they differ
- proverb
- A proverb is an old, widely known piece of advice and is a type of saying, but saying is broader and can include modern phrases.
- adage
- Adage is more formal and suggests a saying that has been trusted for a long time.
- maxim
- Maxim is a short rule of conduct, often attributed to a writer, and feels more serious than a casual saying.
- motto
- A motto is a phrase chosen to guide a person or group, whereas a saying is simply a familiar phrase.
Word family
Commonly confused: saying or quote?
saying vs quote
A quote is words taken from a particular person or text, while a saying is a traditional phrase with no single known source.
Practice
Which of these is best described as a saying?
Choose one answer.
A saying is a traditional, widely shared phrase. A line from a named politician is a quote, and the others are not sayings at all.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “saying”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.