for the sake of
248
3.3
- idiom
:
por el bien de
- And for the sake of comfort--theirs-- I was shipped off to Maine.
- for the sake of clarity
- for the sake of argument
- for the sake of the children
Good poets do it for the sake of the actors.
- Good poets do it for the sake of the actors.
- And in the end, for the sake of unity, they take it out.
- But I was buying for the sake of trying to fill a gap, right?
- So we'll just for the sake of platforms, call them one, right?
- World hid in himself for the sake of another person.
- But let's just for the sake of arguments, start with adulthood.
- Let's just assume that for the sake of my next argument, OK?
- It's conversation for the sake of shared and sustained action.
- But I don't really want to do things just for the sake of doing it or them.
- She she will adhere to herself image for the sake of self protection.
- Don't post for the sake of someone else's eyes.
- Let's say, you know, for the sake of it, on a bench.
Examples
-
This is for the sake of national security.
-
You are a political animal, and for the sake of your pension, I suggest that you grovel.
-
Just for the sake of argument.
-
And in the end, for the sake of unity, they take it out.
-
Please, let's do this for the sake of entertainment right now.
-
A joint investigation must take place for the sake of the child, however unlikely you feel it to be.
Academic text (2011) -
Neither side has been willing to give up much autonomy for the sake of cooperation.
Academic text (1999) -
The reason he stayed in his unbearable room was for the sake of his daughter.
Fiction book (1993) -
Yet the case requires resolution for the sake of the tranquility of the community.
Academic text (1991) -
We need to make sacrifices for the sake of future generations.
Synonyms
55
2.9
To do something to help someone or something
To change something to help the story be more exciting
How Purposeful
248
3.3
- Informal
26
6.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'for' indicates purpose and 'sake' means purpose/benefit, so 'for the sake of X' literally means 'for the purpose/benefit of X'. The definite article and preposition do not obscure the sense, and similar literal constructions exist in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
For the sake of comes from an old use of the word sake, which used to mean 'purpose' or 'benefit'. So, when you do something for the sake of someone or something, you do it to help them or because it is good for them.