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.
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Recent Examples on the WebAramide Tinubu, Variety, 11 Sep. 2023
The Moors gave the Spanish a taste of sweet and sour, a flavor combination that persisted across Europe through the Middle Ages.
—G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
But if the world’s second largest economy continues to turn sour, things could start to look uglier for them too.
—Jacky Wong, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2023
The mood among Grayscale investors turned sour, however, toward the end of that year as crypto’s latest bubble burst, and as the GBTC discount to NAV widened.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 17 Aug. 2023
The guests may be living la dolce vita when the new season of Below Deck Mediterranean heads to the Italian Riviera, but Captain Sandy Yawn and her crew have to deal with some sour situations on board.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 1 Sep. 2023
That’s what always leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 29 Aug. 2023
Some popular flavor options include fruity varieties like strawberry, watermelon, or mango, while others offer unique blends like tropical punch or sour apple.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 18 Aug. 2023
The piece, with music by Celia Cruz, digs into ancestral wisdom about a plant known for healing and sweetening that later turned sour as an industry.
—Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023
oregonlive, 12 July 2023
That means carrying light and dark beers, sours, lagers, fruit beers and more inside the small taproom.
—Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2023
Wash it all down with a Chilean pisco sour or bottle of local wine.
—Nora Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2023
Buffalo Trace Single Barrel, an imperial stout aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels ($13 for two 12-ounce cans); Peanut Butter Porter ($17 for four pack of 16-ounce cans); and Big Mama's Imperial Cherry Pie, an imperial sour ($17 for four pack of 16-ounce cans).
—Chelsey Lewis, Journal Sentinel, 22 Nov. 2022
Steeped in orchids, ancient ruins, and Pisco sours, Peru (and its Incan citadel in the Andes, Machu Picchu) is a destination for the most adventurous traveler.
—Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2023
Beverages lean classic with martinis, white Negronis and a house sour, plus aperitifs, beer and wine.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2023
Located in the western reaches of North Carolina, this scenic city is brimming with top-tier breweries, with destinations like Hi-Wire and Wicked Weed earning widespread acclaim for their mouth-puckering sours—but incredible beer is far from the only asset that’s keeping the tourists coming.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
There will be 65 kegs of ales on tap that range from light sour to heavily fruited.
—John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 8 June 2023
Rhea Mogul, CNN, 31 Aug. 2023
The relationship between Nielsen and the networks, long fraught, has been souring for the past few years.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Aug. 2023
Relations between the United States and China have soured in recent years over a range of issues, including national security.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Aug. 2023
Underlying the good times, though, is a sense that the economy could still sour — even if not as soon, or as dramatically as previously feared.
—Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2023
But their partnership soured after Mr. Siegel became vexed by Warner’s extravagant corporate culture and invoked an earlier agreement between Warner and Chris-Craft that delayed the Time-Warner merger until 1989.
—Sam Roberts, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2023
Taylor's agent subsequently made comments suggesting the relationship between the running back and the franchise had soured.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 29 July 2023
When the startup market began souring last year, many investors shifted to small-dollar bets on ventures in their earliest stages.
—Angus Loten, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2023
But their relationship soured amid negotiations to integrate the RSF into the country’s military as part of plans to restore civilian rule.
—Celine Alkhaldi, CNN, 9 Aug. 2023
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Adjective
Unfortunately, things quickly sour between the women after Hazel purposely sabotages Nella, throwing her under the bus during a conversation regarding the racist novel.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 11 Sep. 2023
The Moors gave the Spanish a taste of sweet and sour, a flavor combination that persisted across Europe through the Middle Ages.
—G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
But if the world’s second largest economy continues to turn sour, things could start to look uglier for them too.
—Jacky Wong, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2023
The mood among Grayscale investors turned sour, however, toward the end of that year as crypto’s latest bubble burst, and as the GBTC discount to NAV widened.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 17 Aug. 2023
The guests may be living la dolce vita when the new season of Below Deck Mediterranean heads to the Italian Riviera, but Captain Sandy Yawn and her crew have to deal with some sour situations on board.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 1 Sep. 2023
That’s what always leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 29 Aug. 2023
Some popular flavor options include fruity varieties like strawberry, watermelon, or mango, while others offer unique blends like tropical punch or sour apple.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 18 Aug. 2023
The piece, with music by Celia Cruz, digs into ancestral wisdom about a plant known for healing and sweetening that later turned sour as an industry.
—Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023
Noun
Vice Beer, an east Vancouver brewery and taproom that crafts aggressive IPAs along with smoothie sours, pastry stouts and lagers, on Thursday will open A Little Vice, a cozy but colorfully cool taproom in a resurgent downtown Vancouver.
—oregonlive, 12 July 2023
That means carrying light and dark beers, sours, lagers, fruit beers and more inside the small taproom.
—Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2023
Wash it all down with a Chilean pisco sour or bottle of local wine.
—Nora Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2023
Buffalo Trace Single Barrel, an imperial stout aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels ($13 for two 12-ounce cans); Peanut Butter Porter ($17 for four pack of 16-ounce cans); and Big Mama's Imperial Cherry Pie, an imperial sour ($17 for four pack of 16-ounce cans).
—Chelsey Lewis, Journal Sentinel, 22 Nov. 2022
Steeped in orchids, ancient ruins, and Pisco sours, Peru (and its Incan citadel in the Andes, Machu Picchu) is a destination for the most adventurous traveler.
—Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2023
Beverages lean classic with martinis, white Negronis and a house sour, plus aperitifs, beer and wine.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2023
Located in the western reaches of North Carolina, this scenic city is brimming with top-tier breweries, with destinations like Hi-Wire and Wicked Weed earning widespread acclaim for their mouth-puckering sours—but incredible beer is far from the only asset that’s keeping the tourists coming.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
There will be 65 kegs of ales on tap that range from light sour to heavily fruited.
—John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 8 June 2023
Verb
Tensions between the two countries soured significantly in 2020 after a deadly brawl in the Galwan Valley, close to Aksai Chin, an area controlled by China but claimed by both countries.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN, 31 Aug. 2023
The relationship between Nielsen and the networks, long fraught, has been souring for the past few years.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Aug. 2023
Relations between the United States and China have soured in recent years over a range of issues, including national security.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Aug. 2023
Underlying the good times, though, is a sense that the economy could still sour — even if not as soon, or as dramatically as previously feared.
—Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2023
But their partnership soured after Mr. Siegel became vexed by Warner’s extravagant corporate culture and invoked an earlier agreement between Warner and Chris-Craft that delayed the Time-Warner merger until 1989.
—Sam Roberts, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2023
Taylor's agent subsequently made comments suggesting the relationship between the running back and the franchise had soured.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 29 July 2023
When the startup market began souring last year, many investors shifted to small-dollar bets on ventures in their earliest stages.
—Angus Loten, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2023
But their relationship soured amid negotiations to integrate the RSF into the country’s military as part of plans to restore civilian rule.
—Celine Alkhaldi, CNN, 9 Aug. 2023
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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.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, from Old English sūr; akin to Old High German sūr sour, Lithuanian sūrus salty
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of sour was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing sour
Dictionary Entries Near sour
Cite this Entry
“Sour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sour. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on sour
Nglish: Translation of sour for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of sour for Arabic Speakers
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