souse

1 of 3

verb (1)

soused; sousing

transitive verb

1
: pickle
2
a
: to plunge in liquid : immerse
3
: to make drunk

intransitive verb

: to become immersed or drenched

souse

2 of 3

noun

1
: something pickled
especially : seasoned and chopped pork trimmings, fish, or shellfish
2
: an act of sousing : wetting
3
a
: a habitual drunkard
b
: a drinking spree : binge

souse

3 of 3

verb (2)

soused; sousing

intransitive verb

archaic : to swoop down : plunge

transitive verb

archaic : to swoop down on

Examples of souse in a Sentence

Noun an old souse who lumbered home with a full bottle of gin in him every night
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The athletes were unwinding in the locker room when Coach Mark Few and his assistants charged in and began sousing them with ice-cold water. Andrew Keh, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2023 And then there’s the soy sauce that gets soused over everything to improve bad food in a cheap restaurant. Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023
Noun
While assembling these souse and bakes, the complex history of the Caribbean comes into full view, as does the resilience of Grenadians who have turned the foods of their oppression such as saltfish into profoundly beautiful, delicious dishes. Lelani Lewis, Saveur, 29 Feb. 2024 The meat in souse is first tenderized through boiling and then marinated in lime, cucumbers, peppers and seasonings to pickled perfection. Kizzy Cox, Essence, 20 Dec. 2022 The caterers served roti and jerk and pelau and souse. Victoria Brown, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Feb. 2021

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French suz, souce pickling juice, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German sulza brine, Old English sealt salt

Verb (2)

Middle English souce, noun, start of a bird's flight, alteration of sours, probably from Anglo-French surse source — more at source

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1567, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of souse was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near souse

Cite this Entry

“Souse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/souse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

souse

1 of 2 verb
soused; sousing
1
2
a
: to plunge in liquid : immerse
b
: to wet thoroughly : drench
3
: to make or become drunk

souse

2 of 2 noun
1
: something pickled
especially : seasoned and chopped meat trimmed from pork, fish, or shellfish
2
: an act of sousing : wetting
3
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