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Glite Dictionary
say-so

say-so

87 5.6
Permission that a person in charge gives to do something
  • noun
  • /ˈseɪˌsoʊ/
translation icon : visto bueno
  • If the guilty party is among you, kindly have the decency to say so publicly.

Don't let those things have more of a say so than your intuition.

Examples

  • I wish I did, but but they had, they had no say so in how the money would be spent.

  • I don't want you to say anything or do anything until I say so understand?

    Big Bad Mama II (1987)

  • Just on their say so.

    Dusty and Sweets McGee (1971)

  • If you boys insist on another popular demonstration just say so.

    Hitler's Children (1943)

  • Don't let those things have more of a say so than your intuition.

    Stephan Speaks

  • He's not going off just on my say-so.

    The Proud Rebel (1958)

  • "Oh, for Christ's sake, Caro, because I said so, okay?" he snapped.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The committee made a final decision, but it was clear that the director had the final say-so.

  • Without the manager's say-so, the project could not move forward.

  • Even though the proposal was good, the team needed the CEO's say-so to proceed.

Synonyms

permission
vssay-so
∞ 1.0

Official approval that lets you do something

is broader, covering personal influence or spoken approval too
consent
vssay-so
  • Formal
344 3.2

Permission for something to happen, often given in writing

is more about granting decision power than mutual agreement
authority
vssay-so
235 3.1

Official permission to do something

may be informal or personal approval rather than formal command
authorization
vssay-so
  • US
125 4.4

Official permission to do something

is less formal and can be simple verbal approval rather than official power
sanction
vssay-so
  • Formal
27 5.7

Official permission from an authority to do something

is typically a personal or informal approval rather than formal backing
final say
vssay-so
14 4.0

The power to make the last decision in a matter

gives permission or influence rather than sole ultimate control
carte blanche
vssay-so
11 8.1

Freedom to act without asking permission

is narrower, usually a specific approval not unlimited freedom
O.K.
vssay-so
2.0

Permission from someone in charge to go ahead

is often more formal and implies real decision power

How Authoritative

authority
731 3.5
say-so
87 5.6
permission
∞ 1.0
input
139 3.0
suggestion
759 1.4

Surface Forms

say-so singular
say-sos plural

Morphology

say-so = say + so (semi-transparent) = say + so

The components 'say' and 'so' are visible, but the idiomatic meaning 'permission/authority' is not directly predictable from them for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Say-so comes from the simple idea of a person's say ('what they say') and the word so; if someone 'says so', others accept it as the decision. So, someone's say-so is their 'permission' or 'authority' to allow or decide something.