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

Officials in Norilsk warned residents on Tuesday that a bear had been spotted crossing the city's streets, far south of its regular hunting grounds. — Fox News, "Emaciated polar bear spotted in Russian city, far from usual habitat," 19 June 2019 Police and prosecutors said the crash occurred after midnight Oct. 21, 2017, on Green Bay Road south of 9th Street. — Jim Newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Wisconsin man guilty of not reporting fatal Zion hit-and-run," 17 June 2019 The builders, coming from as far north as Jupiter and as far south as Fort Lauderdale, spanned three generations. — Krislyn Placide, sun-sentinel.com, "Three generations flex their muscles for Habitat for Humanity for 2019 Women Build," 13 June 2019 According to weather satellites, the meteor exploded over New Jersey, but the fireball could even be seen as far south as Brazil. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Giant Meteor Explodes Over East Coast," 18 Apr. 2019 It’s eleven-thirty at night according to my watch, but this far south the hour of the solar day is of no help in trying to understand the situation we’re in here, or our work rhythms. — Barry Lopez, Harper's magazine, "Polar Light," 10 Jan. 2019 This summer also brought wildfires in Europe, from as far north as the Arctic Circle to as far south as the Mediterranean Coast. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "California’s wildfires are hardly “natural” — humans made them worse at every step," 6 Sep. 2018 Lake Harney — along with lakes Jesup and Monroe — are fed by the St. Johns River, which collects rainwater from as far south as Indian River County and flows northward. — Martin E. Comas, OrlandoSentinel.com, "East Seminole County residents keep nervous eye on rising St. Johns," 9 July 2018 An off-duty firefighter found the baby's body, which investigators believe may have drifted up from as far south as Broward County. — Gary Detman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Authorities haven't yet ID'd mom of dead baby found at sea," 9 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Initially boaters will have to stay on the south side of the lake. — Sue Kiesewetter, Cincinnati.com, "Boating to be allowed for first time at Fairfield's Marsh Park," 20 June 2019 With all the support staff and Sherpa help, this put at least 750 people on the south side of Everest this year. — Mark Jenkins, Outside Online, "How to Fix Everest," 20 June 2019 No one else was seriously injured in the shooting on the south side of the downtown building housing about 300 federal workers, a prosecutor said. — Eliott C. Mclaughlin, CNN, "Before he was killed, Dallas gunman discussed suicide and was institutionalized, parents tell paper," 20 June 2019 The cyclist was riding on the south side of Northeast Cornell, and was hit by a truck heading northbound on Northeast 28th Avenue as the truck turned right onto Northeast Cornell Road. — oregonlive.com, "Cyclist airlifted to hospital after being hit by car in Hillsboro," 19 June 2019 Law enforcement fired back at Clyde, who turned and ran back toward a parking lot on the south side of the federal building. — Jennifer Emily, Dallas News, "Family of Dallas courthouse shooter Brian Clyde believes he wanted to be killed," 19 June 2019 Located on the south side of Dan Patch Avenue between Cooper and Cosgrove streets Strawberries ‘n Crème: Serving fresh strawberries with non-dairy whipped topping; and fresh-brewed iced tea with strawberry flavoring. — Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, "Minnesota State Fair’s new foods include grits, lamb chops, duck wings and lots on a stick," 18 June 2019 Guntersville hosts the Bassmaster Elites next weekend, June 21-23, with daily take-offs and weigh-ins open to the public at Goose Pond on the south side of Scottsboro. — Frank Sargeant, al.com, "Friday Fishing Report: Get latest reports on what’s biting," 14 June 2019 Under that arrangement, the city would pay $10 million to nine property owners to buy nine parcels of land totaling 50 acres along the south side of Bilter Road. — Steve Lord, Aurora Beacon-News, "Aurora looks at $10 million purchase of land near outlet mall," 14 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

He was hit about 12:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Interstate 495, south of Route 7 in Fairfax County. — Washington Post, "Man is fatally shot Saturday in Petworth neighborhood of D.C.," 9 June 2019 The Spurs are headed back to Mexico City, with another regular-season game against Phoenix set to be held south of the border, the team announced Friday. — Jeff Mcdonald, ExpressNews.com, "Spurs Notebook: Spurs to face Suns in Mexico City," 7 June 2019 But consultants and analysts are sounding the alarm that petrochemical demand is heading south of earlier forecasts. — Jack Kaskey, latimes.com, "Oil giants bet their futures on plastic — just in time for a plastic-trash crackdown," 6 June 2019 A few miles north of Ripon, south of a scenic wetland area where a rare ibis bird was once spotted, the trail passes by Vines & Rushes. — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Beer and a bike ride: 12 breweries along bike trails in Wisconsin," 6 June 2019 Auto parts and vehicles top the list of goods the U.S. imports from Mexico, totaling $93 billion last year, while 17% of the cars sold by the Detroit automakers are assembled south of the border, according to Brandywine Global. — Alain Sherter, CBS News, "Ford: U.S. tariffs on Mexico would do "significant" damage," 6 June 2019 Crow Holdings Industrial plans to open a $26 million corporate business park with its first three buildings, adding more than 576,600 square feet of space in an area north of Mason Road and south of Interstate 90. — Rafael Guerrero, Elgin Courier-News, "Works starts on two buildings off Randall Road in Elgin, adding 405,000 square feet of new industrial space," 6 June 2019 Flash flooding is expected to begin once another two inches of rain falls, and is mainly expected along and south of Interstate 480. — Robin Goist, cleveland.com, "National Weather Service issues flash flood warning for Northeast Ohio until 10:30 p.m. Wednesday," 5 June 2019 Preliminary interest in space fronting Michigan Avenue and along Pioneer Court south of the tower has been strong, Golub said. — Ryan Ori, chicagotribune.com, "North Michigan Avenue tries to bring back the 'Magnificent' amid retail upheaval," 5 June 2019

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.