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

Synonyms

• pipe up
• shoot
• speak out
• speak up
• spout (off)
• talk up

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

Vote in the poll below, then sound off in the comments. —Charlie Mason, TVLine, 16 May 2025

Bickerstaff sounded off on the play at the end of the game. 2025 NBA PLAYOFF ODDS TRACKER: WHO WILL EMERGE FROM FIRST ROUND? —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025

Up next, a ubiquitous presence on television, unafraid of controversy, sounding off on everything from sports to pop culture to politics. —ABC News, 13 Apr. 2025

The city of Little Rock, Arkansas, recommends packing a small backpack with water, medications, and important documents to take if sirens sound off indicating a tornado warning. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sound off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

sound off

verb

1

: to count while marching

2

: to voice one's opinions freely with force