sound off

verb

sounded off; sounding off; sounds off

intransitive verb

1
: to play three chords before and after marching up and down a line of troops during a ceremonial parade or formal guard mount
2
: to count cadence while marching
3
a
: to speak up in a loud voice
b
: to voice one's opinions freely and vigorously

Examples of sound off in a Sentence

she never missed a chance to sound off about the latest “stupid” political decisions the guard captain commanded each sentry to sound off
Recent Examples on the Web Anytime JPMorgan Chase releases a quarterly earnings report, CEO Jamie Dimon can’t help but sound off on his fears for the U.S. economy or his frustration with the rising national debt, often setting the agenda for the latest hot topic in the world of finance. Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024 Prior to 2016, Trump dabbled in politics, often sounding off on issues like the birther movement. Anna Kaufman, Veronica Bravo, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024 Instead of rallying around a fresh set of seats up and down the ballot, Justice sounded off talking points the crowd usually hears from the Republican party’s presumptive nominee Trump. Rachel Barber, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024 In an illuminating conversation with Billboard, Ryan Trey sounds off on the utility of deluxe editions, the rise of fans leaking artists’ unfinished music, exploring his faith and how Justin Bieber’s Journals album is influencing his new music. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024 If any symptoms are leading to significant changes in your quality of life, your sensors for hormonal imbalance should sound off. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 4 Apr. 2024 Six of the Sacramento region’s top chefs, from a vegetarian proprietor in midtown to fine dining craftspeople in the suburbs, recently sounded off to The Sacramento Bee about the customer behaviors that drive them batty. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024 Even Cookie Monster made headlines last week sounding off on shrinkflation. Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024 To share their take on the pros and cons of the once-trendy cabinetry choice, Louisa Roberts owner of Neat Method NYC and Meg Markland of Neat by Meg sound off on this polarizing topic. Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sound off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sound off was in 1909

Dictionary Entries Near sound off

Cite this Entry

“Sound off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sound%20off. Accessed 1 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

sound off

verb
1
: to count while marching
2
: to voice one's opinions freely with force
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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