say-so 
noun [in singular] informal
1The power or act of deciding or allowing something: no new employees come into the organization without his say-so...
- The students had a showdown with police when the university tried to approve the deal without their say-so; 66 students were arrested and are to appear in court next month.
- Credit card companies, banks, the phone company, your landlord, your employer, and even the cable guy have likely all had a peep inside your credit file, though none of them could have done it without your say-so.
- He and his family used their control of the unions to take over the trucking companies that serviced the garment district, so that few manufacturers could get a delivery or make a shipment without their say-so.
Synonyms
authorization, approval, seal of approval, agreement, consent, assent, permission, endorsement, sanction, ratification, approbation, acquiescence, confirmation, blessing, leave
informal OK, the go-ahead, the green light, the thumbs up
1.1 (usually on someone's say-so) A person’s arbitrary or unauthorized assertion or instruction: I don’t stop on the say-so of anybody’s assistant...
- Rent arrears are overlooked and no one can be thrown out on the say-so of a manager - the site no longer has a manager; it has a social worker.
- I don't expect them to bounce a doctor on his ear just on my say-so, as much as I sometimes wish it were that easy.
- This process is similar to constructing a proof in geometry: the author knows the conclusion before writing the proof, but in the proof, the conclusion follows from the logic and not just the say-so of the author.
