south

adverb

\ ˈsau̇th

Definition of south

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : to, toward, or in the south a house facing south

2 : into a state of decline or ruin causes the sluggish economy to go south— G. F. Will

south

adjective

Definition of south (Entry 2 of 4)

1 : situated toward or at the south the south entrance

2 : coming from the south a south wind

south

noun

Definition of south (Entry 3 of 4)

1a : the direction of the south terrestrial pole : the direction to the right of one facing east

b : the compass point directly opposite to north

2 capitalized : regions or countries lying to the south of a specified or implied point of orientation especially : the southeastern part of the U.S.

3 : the right side of a church looking toward the altar from the nave

4 often capitalized

a : the one of four positions at 90-degree intervals that lies to the south or at the bottom of a diagram

b : a person (such as a bridge player) occupying this position in the course of a specified activity specifically : the declarer in bridge

5 often capitalized : the developing nations of the world : third world sense 1 — compare north sense 2b

South

biographical name

\ ˈsau̇th

Definition of South (Entry 4 of 4)

Robert 1634–1716 English clergyman

Examples of south in a Sentence

Adverb

Turn south onto Elm Street. It's a mile south of here. The birds fly south in the winter. The company's profits have gone south in recent months. The TV show's ratings have been heading south.

Noun

The wind blew from the south. The birds migrate from the South. Parts of the South were hit hard by the storm. I grew up in the South. The American Civil War was between the North and the South.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Detroit City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday in favor of the creation of a historic district, just south of Little Caesars Arena, that encompasses several properties owned by the Ilitch family. — Allie Gross, Detroit Free Press, "How new Detroit historic district impacts the Ilitch family," 10 July 2018 Markakis, who still lives in the Baltimore area, will get to play in his first All-Star Game just south of Baltimore in Washington. — Eduardo A. Encina, baltimoresun.com, "Former Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis makes first All-Star Game; Old Mill's Josh Hader also earns first nod," 8 July 2018 To the left, the main attraction: a vast amphitheater-like chamber known as Pattaya Beach, named after the popular tourist destination just south of the Thai capital Bangkok. — Time, "A Youth Soccer Team Has Been Trapped in a Thai Cave for More Than a Week. Here's Why It's Taking So Long to Find Them," 2 July 2018 Most of the evacuees in Florida settled in Central Florida, including in the heavily Puerto Rican enclave of Kissimmee, just south of Orlando. — Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, "For Puerto Rican Storm Evacuees, Another Moving Day Looms," 30 June 2018 The deadly conflict has been fueled by a proliferation in arms and an Islamic insurgency moving ever further south from its strongholds in Mali’s north, said Corinne Dufka, Sahel director of Human Rights Watch. — Baba Ahmed, The Seattle Times, "Militia head refutes his group responsible for Mali massacre," 25 Mar. 2019 In one, the pair traveled the wrong way in the Venza on U.S. 281 south from Bulverde for 10 to 15 miles, as A’Hearn and Richford took turns shooting at law enforcement, endangering other motorists. — Guillermo Contreras, San Antonio Express-News, "S.A. man who carjacked and shot postal worker gets 20 years for crime spree," 12 July 2018 Last year, for instance, growers from Tamil Nadu in the far south mounted a dramatic sit-in near the parliament in Delhi, the capital. — The Economist, "India’s government claims to subsidise farmers, but actually hurts them," 12 July 2018 The governor directed the Department of Environmental Protection and the South Florida Water Management District to waive various restrictions and regulations to store water in additional areas south of the lake. — Jim Turner, Sun-Sentinel.com, "White House backs Everglades reservoir," 11 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Dowless was hired to work for Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris last year and focused on boosting mail-in votes for the GOP candidate in the 9th Congressional District in south-central North Carolina. — Emery P. Dalesio, The Seattle Times, "Consultant on North Carolina race: Methods were surprise," 19 Feb. 2019 Owners of a uranium deposit in south-central Virginia claim the state mining ban is pre-empted by the federal Atomic Energy Act’s regulation of radiation safety for milling and tailings. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Judges vs. Telepathists," 6 Nov. 2018 That would be Robert Jay Mathews, founder of the brutal neo-Nazi gang The Order, killed in a shootout with the FBI on the south end of the island 34 years ago. — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "‘Bucolic’ Whidbey Island surprised at skinhead headlines — and recent Lynnwood assault," 31 Dec. 2018 The water caused breaches in the dam on the south end of the lake, which is flowing back into the river. — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, "North Carolina dam at retired power plant breaches, may release coal ash into river," 21 Sep. 2018 The company said water was flowing out of the south end of Sutton Lake in a second breach, and that cenospheres are leaking into the Cape Fear River. — Erin Ailworth, WSJ, "Flood Shuts Down N.C. Power Plant, Sweeps Waste Into River," 21 Sep. 2018 As neighbors gathered at the south end of the crime scene, a man wearing a Seattle Seahawks jersey pulled up on a motorcycle. — Hannah Leone, chicagotribune.com, "82-year-old man shot in Chatham: 'It's senseless nonsense and it has to stop'," 13 July 2018 Roanoke, already known for aggressively attracting restaurants, has seen a wave of openings within the past 12 months or so, almost all of them on the south end of the Oak Street strip where ChopShop Live is. — Robert Philpot, star-telegram, "Talking shop — Roanoke ChopShop Live, that is — with Randy Rogers," 11 July 2018 Oceanside's Yankee Doodle Dinghy Parade: Boat parade starts 1 p.m. July 4 in the Oceanside Harbor at the Oceanside Yacht Club and continues on to the south end of the harbor. — Linda Mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Fireworks, parades set to take off in North County," 2 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The area, south of Salt Lake City, is in the midst of a large growth spurt due in part to large families and a local tech-industry boom. — Sarah Chaney, WSJ, "Utah Shows How Labor-Force Growth Fuels Economic Growth," 18 Jan. 2019 From the midwest to the south, and coast to coast, exciting new restaurants are in the works. — Kat Odell, Vogue, "2019’s Most Anticipated American Restaurant Openings," 3 Jan. 2019 Ebola cases are spread, from north to south, across a 124-mile area. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "An Ebola “perfect storm” is brewing in the Democratic Republic of Congo," 28 Sep. 2018 Located in the southeast of England, Sussex is a region bordered by the English Channel in the south, by Surrey to the north, by Hampshire to the west, and by Kent to the the northeast. — Lyndsey Matthews, Harper's BAZAAR, "Everything Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Need to Know About Sussex, England," 27 Sep. 2018 The Sahel region between the Sahara Desert and the wetter lands to the south, in particular, can easily become wetter or drier with small atmospheric changes. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Carpeting Sahara with wind and solar farms could make it rain," 8 Sep. 2018 Given that pigs aren't exactly easy to herd, this also means that there probably was some ritual aspect to the pig feasts, important enough to drive early Welsh and Scottish settlers back to the south of modern-day England. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "Study: Ancient Stonehenge Pig Roasts Brought in People From All Over Britain," 13 Mar. 2019 The men also took advantage of the sunny weather and the fact that Hartland Abbey has its own private section of coastline, and spent the afternoon surfing at Speke Mill, a spot located a couple of miles to the south. — Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, "Everything You Forgot Happened at Prince William's Bachelor Party," 27 Jan. 2019 The house sits at an angle in line with the mountain range to the south so that the sprawling front balcony and main room enjoy striking views. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "The 5 best shipping container houses of 2018," 27 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'south.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.