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 The district, which is independent from the village government, must secure Village Board permission to open a library, but trustees say for years town leaders have refused to allow a new building or a temporary home. —

Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2024 Researchers can’t say for certain why the koalas so stubbornly stuck to Cape Otway’s trees. —

Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 June 2024 Wednesday's statement did not say for how long the supports would be offered. —

Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 13 June 2024 Advertisement The reality is, at this stage, no one can say for sure. —

Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024 What did that story say for the character and the family? —

Jim Halterman, Variety, 10 May 2024 Younger adults, for example, may benefit more from vigorous activity, although more research is required to say for sure. —

Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 21 May 2024 For example, nobody can say for sure whether Tripod is male or female. —

Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 For instance, the data on the rise in buffalo kills is only correlational–the scientists can’t say for certain that it’s being caused by the invasive ants. —

Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'say for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.