1
: being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is produced chiefly by acids and is characteristic of lemon juice
sour pickles
compare bitter entry 1 sense 1a, salty entry 1 sense 1b, sweet entry 1 sense 1, umami entry 2
2
3
a
c
: not up to the usual, expected, or standard quality or pitch
4
: acid in reaction
—used especially of soil
5
: containing malodorous sulfur compounds
—used especially of petroleum products
1
a
: something sour
… they assimilated many Anglo-American sweet pickles and began adding more sugar to their sours.—
William Woys Weaver
William Woys Weaver
b
: the taste sensation produced chiefly by acids compare bitter entry 2 sense 1b, salty entry 2, sweet entry 3 sense 2, umami entry 1
2
: a cocktail consisting of a liquor (such as whiskey), lemon or lime juice, sugar, and sometimes ice
soured; souring; sours
: to become sour
: to make sour
Synonyms
Examples of sour in a Sentence
Adjective
The milk had turned sour.
He made a sour face.
Verb
Her disposition has soured in recent years.
Jealousy has soured their relationship.
His experiences have soured him.
The team's victory was soured by an injury to one of their best players.
Recent Examples on the WebJason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024
Still, interest in Swift has yet to diminish or fully sour.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
Its mildly sour, lactic notes temper its spicy heat, and go well with steaming rice.
—Arbab Ali & Nadeem Sarwar, Saveur, 18 Apr. 2024
These warmer plates tend to be too hot, ultimately altering the taste of the coffee and resulting in a bitter and sour flavor over time due to the breakdown of the acids, Raub says.
—Michelle Rostamian, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Apr. 2024
The sweet and sour accompaniments add an extra little zing to the dish.
—Liv Dansky, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2024
Mars Blend, a medium-density sour crude from the US Gulf Coast, has in recent days risen to a multi-year premium over lighter West Texas Intermediate, the national benchmark.
—Lucia Kassai, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024
This colorful drink is made with anejo (an aged tequila), orange liqueur, sweet vermouth, and fresh mint leaves for a cocktail that's sweet and a little bit sour.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024
For the creative class to point fingers at the large, breasty gentlemen adrift in tortilla-chip-laden pools of water is to gather a sour harvest of low-hanging fruit.
—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, mixologist Remy Savage has crafted a cocktail menu that feels like Marais meets Midtown: think Manhattan with a twist of Pernod, or an Upside-Down New York sour with orgeat.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2024
This brewery prides itself on developing a unique variety of beers including IPAs, farmhouse ales and sours.
—Katie Toussaint, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Why Modi’s economy offers a real alternative to China
India is also widely seen as an alternative to China for countries and companies looking to diversify their supply chains, particularly as the relationship between Washington and Beijing sours.
—Diksha Madhok, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
Look for a special menu of six pisco sours, including bicoastal versions created by Natasha Bermudez of New York’s Llama Inn and Kevin Diedrich of San Francisco’s Pacific Cocktail Haven just for this event, and one with blood orange and cinnamon.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024
Particularly in later episodes, when the dynamic between Malcolm X and his mentor sours and the civil rights leader eventually steps down from the Nation of Islam amid nasty accusations, Jones shows a treacherous side which audiences haven’t seen from him before.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024
Its earliest brews in the works include a peach sour, a tropical double IPA and a stout.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2024
World & Nation Palestinians struggle as a brutal war sours business.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023
Kenrick Cai, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The relationship between Assange and his Ecuadorian hosts eventually soured.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
Since then he’s soured a bit on the industry, going on somewhat of a tangent during a sales call this past winter.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2024
Residents can’t pinpoint exactly when the smell of spoiled milk began to sour the streets of Kosciusko.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Inside Their Stressful — Yet Perfect — Wedding Day
Since the cameras stopped rolling, things between Gabe and Isabel have soured.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
Her passion for chocolate never soured, according to her company website.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024
Gibson’s antisemitic remarks soured his career in Hollywood.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
But Americans’ attitudes towards the economy have soured and lower-income consumers have pulled back their spending, painting a mixed picture of the economy’s health.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Maraschino liqueur is a distillate of the marasca cherry, a sour variety that grows around the Adriatic sea in Italy and Croatia.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024
Still, interest in Swift has yet to diminish or fully sour.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
Its mildly sour, lactic notes temper its spicy heat, and go well with steaming rice.
—Arbab Ali & Nadeem Sarwar, Saveur, 18 Apr. 2024
These warmer plates tend to be too hot, ultimately altering the taste of the coffee and resulting in a bitter and sour flavor over time due to the breakdown of the acids, Raub says.
—Michelle Rostamian, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Apr. 2024
The sweet and sour accompaniments add an extra little zing to the dish.
—Liv Dansky, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2024
Mars Blend, a medium-density sour crude from the US Gulf Coast, has in recent days risen to a multi-year premium over lighter West Texas Intermediate, the national benchmark.
—Lucia Kassai, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024
This colorful drink is made with anejo (an aged tequila), orange liqueur, sweet vermouth, and fresh mint leaves for a cocktail that's sweet and a little bit sour.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024
For the creative class to point fingers at the large, breasty gentlemen adrift in tortilla-chip-laden pools of water is to gather a sour harvest of low-hanging fruit.
—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
Thanks to the Bay Area’s Irish history, there’s no shortage of pubs where Guinness and Smithwick’s mingle with IPAs and sours, and where millennial newcomers grab a bar stool next to longtime locals.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, mixologist Remy Savage has crafted a cocktail menu that feels like Marais meets Midtown: think Manhattan with a twist of Pernod, or an Upside-Down New York sour with orgeat.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2024
This brewery prides itself on developing a unique variety of beers including IPAs, farmhouse ales and sours.
—Katie Toussaint, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Why Modi’s economy offers a real alternative to China
India is also widely seen as an alternative to China for countries and companies looking to diversify their supply chains, particularly as the relationship between Washington and Beijing sours.
—Diksha Madhok, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
Look for a special menu of six pisco sours, including bicoastal versions created by Natasha Bermudez of New York’s Llama Inn and Kevin Diedrich of San Francisco’s Pacific Cocktail Haven just for this event, and one with blood orange and cinnamon.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024
Particularly in later episodes, when the dynamic between Malcolm X and his mentor sours and the civil rights leader eventually steps down from the Nation of Islam amid nasty accusations, Jones shows a treacherous side which audiences haven’t seen from him before.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024
Its earliest brews in the works include a peach sour, a tropical double IPA and a stout.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2024
World & Nation Palestinians struggle as a brutal war sours business.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023
Verb
The company’s dire financial position had thoroughly soured Stability’s current investors, including Coatue, which had invested tens of millions in the company during its $101 million funding round in 2022.
—Kenrick Cai, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The relationship between Assange and his Ecuadorian hosts eventually soured.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
Since then he’s soured a bit on the industry, going on somewhat of a tangent during a sales call this past winter.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2024
Residents can’t pinpoint exactly when the smell of spoiled milk began to sour the streets of Kosciusko.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Inside Their Stressful — Yet Perfect — Wedding Day
Since the cameras stopped rolling, things between Gabe and Isabel have soured.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
Her passion for chocolate never soured, according to her company website.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024
Gibson’s antisemitic remarks soured his career in Hollywood.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
But Americans’ attitudes towards the economy have soured and lower-income consumers have pulled back their spending, painting a mixed picture of the economy’s health.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sour.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sour
Cite this Entry
“Sour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sour. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sour
1 of 3 adjective1
: having or being an acid or tart taste that is one of the four taste sensations compare bitter sense 1, salt entry 3 sense 1b, sweet entry 1 sense 1b
2
a
: having become acid through spoiling
sour milk
b
: indicating decay : putrid
a sour odor
3
: unpleasant, disagreeable
a sour look
played a sour note
4
: acid in reaction
sour soil
sourly
adverb
sourness
noun
sour
2 of 3 noun1
a
: something sour
b
: the basic taste sensation produced by acid stimuli
2
: a cocktail made with liquor, lemon or lime juice, sugar, and sometimes soda water
sour
3 of 3 verb
: to become or make sour
Medical Definition
sour
1 of 2 adjective
: causing, characterized by, or being the one of the four basic taste sensations that is produced chiefly by acids compare bitter, salt entry 2 sense 2, sweet entry 1
sourness
noun
sour
2 of 2 noun
: the primary taste sensation produced by acid stimuli
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