that is to say
59
3.5
- idiom
- The meeting was unproductive, that is to say, we didn't reach any conclusions.
- that is to say, not only
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Watch on YouTubeThey seem, that is to say, meaningless and unnecessary.
- They seem, that is to say, meaningless and unnecessary.
- Federati, that is to say, armies of the Roman Empire.
- And that is to say not all ketones are created equal.
- Was it fair that in this New Democracy only one gender of one race, that is to say, white men, had full political rights?
- And, and that is to say that we have to look at what we're aspiring to be.
- They form extended kinship units, that is to say, they know who their second cousins are and care about them.
- So societies like ours, that is to say the Western Hemisphere, the Caribbean and so forth, we share a lot in common.
- So all that is to say that it should not be impossible to make something blacker than even space, and we're going to try to do that right now.
- That's not to say we shouldn't have preferences, but that is to say that some preferences are better off not had than than attempted to be materially manifested.
- So perfect pitch as a trait, that is to say you have the ability to to hear a note, play it and say, oh, that's AC sharp, right?
- And, and to me, that is to say shed some light.
- And yet this is not a matter of revolution, that is to say.
Examples
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The proposal was unclear; that is to say, we need to provide more details before deciding.
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That is to say, do you feel this could be your calling?
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So all of that is to say this is hard.
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So part of that is to say how does our material environment shape us?
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And that is to say that we all are living in our own reality almost.
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And so all of that is to say that learn stuff from your mistakes.
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That is to say, I am not exactly sure that I recognize the precise section of the road we are on at the moment.
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That is to say that the world as we used to know it doesn't exist any more.
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So societies like ours, that is to say the Western Hemisphere, the Caribbean and so forth, we share a lot in common.
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Plato held that there exists an ultimate reality beyond the physical world; that is to say, the world which we perceive with our senses.
Academic text (1996)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To give an example that helps explain a point
778
1.5
To give an example that shows what you mean
704
2.7
To say something in a clearer way
401
3.6
To explain something just mentioned more clearly, giving the exact meaning
224
1.1
To give one or more examples of something just mentioned
133
3.6
To give one or more examples of something just mentioned
31
3.7
A phrase that gives more exact information about what was just said
12
8.7
Introduces specific examples or details that follow
9
8.0
Shows a specific example or explanation that follows
1
9.9
To give specific examples or names
1
8.2
To give a more exact explanation
How Emphatic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'that is' + 'to say' to signal a restatement or clarification, so a learner who knows the component words can infer it introduces a clearer explanation. This discourse-marker pattern has close parallels in many languages (e.g., Spanish 'es decir', French 'c'est-à-dire'), making the function predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
That is to say comes from the simple idea of pointing back to something you just said and then explaining it again more clearly. Imagine pointing to that and then using say to make the meaning clear, so the phrase is used 'to give a clearer explanation'.