you don't say

Idioms

How surprising, is that true? Also, I find that hard to believe. For example, I've been working on this project for two years.—You don't say, or The man who runs this soup kitchen is a real saint.—You don't say! This expression, a shortening of you don't say so, may be used straightforwardly or ironically. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And I didn't want Gus to be tarred with any of that, so at first you don't say anything and then I thought, I have to tell his friends and I have to tell people.

From BBC

“You don’t say,” murmured Uncle Alf.

From Literature

You don’t say what you do for a living.

From MarketWatch

"You have people who want to come in to have a look at the castle but they can't because it's out of bounds for the public, but you don't say to them to clear off, but suggest they go up to Parliament Buildings for a cup of tea or a meal," she said.

From BBC

“Raised by wolves! You don’t say,” he exclaimed when she was done.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023