south

1 of 3

adverb

ˈsau̇th 

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

see also south of

south

2 of 3

adjective

1

: situated toward or at the south

the south entrance

2

: coming from the south

a south wind

south

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: 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

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

The group crossed the river again and marched north on Water Street to West Juneau Avenue, then south on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive before crossing the river a final time at West State Street. —Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 15 July 2024

Travel east on 116th street and go south on USA Parkway. —Holly V. Hays, The Indianapolis Star, 15 July 2024

Adjective

That would involve a new, 1.6-mile pipe and pumping station that would move the storm water to the south branch of the Park River. —Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 21 July 2024

The massive glass globe of the company’s High Performance Computing Data Center is visible along the highway that separates Racine County from its neighbor to the south, Kenosha County. —Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2024

Noun

Beirut is a city of many faiths, but less than an hour to the south is Lebanon’s Shiite heartland. —Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024

The Lower Ramble, which turned the Fay Jones Woods to the south into a nature attraction complete with boardwalks, performance areas and native vegetation, finished construction in September 2022. —Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 22 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English, from Old English sūth; akin to Old High German sund- south and probably to Old English sunne sun

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing south

• down south
• east by south
• south by east
• south by west
• southeast by south
• south of
• south pole
• south-seeking pole
• south-southeast
• south-southwest
• southwest by south
• west by south

Kids Definition

south

1 of 3 adverb

ˈsau̇th 

: to or toward the south

south

2 of 3 adjective

1

: situated toward or at the south

the south entrance

2

: coming from the south

a south wind

south

3 of 3 noun

1

a

: the direction to the right of one facing east

b

: the compass point opposite to north

2

capitalized : regions or countries south of a point that is mentioned or understood

especially : the southeastern part of the U.S.

Biographical Definition

South

biographical name

ˈsau̇th 

Robert 1634–1716 English clergyman