south

adverb

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\ 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 The march started at Glorietta Bay Park, and the cadets, leaving in staggered starts, went south to the end of the beach for 6.5 miles and turned back to finish. — Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2021 Three other vessels were tackling another slick that has slowly moved south and is now off the coast of San Clemente. — Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2021 And as the London property deal went south, the AIF began conducting a multi-jurisdictional investigation trying to follow the money. — Gerald Posner, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2021 The Patriots built a dynasty with Tom Brady, and then Tom Brady moved south and kept the winning going, and did it again Sunday night, blowing kisses on his way out the door. — Jason Gay, WSJ, 4 Oct. 2021 Burnes put down the first two hitters in the bottom of the inning but things went south when Trea Turner punched an opposite-field single to right and Max Muncy drew a five-pitch walk. — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2021 By the 2000s, the fund was facing shortfalls because of crippled union membership, and its Wall Street trustees made risky bets to cover the gap — bets that went south. — New York Times, 29 Sep. 2021 Experts were watching the swarm of quakes that came with the volcanic eruption just below the island’s center as the temblors moved south, the AP reported. — Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2021 But the offense went south instead, a two-touchdown loss that was somehow more lopsided than the score would suggest. — BostonGlobe.com, 26 Sep. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective While planes will continue to take off and land on the other runways, the 9,000-foot fifth runway, isolated on the far south side of the airfield, will be cleared. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 12 Oct. 2021 His wife, an emergency room nurse, had parked adjacent to the hospital on the south side of Montello Street. — oregonlive, 12 Oct. 2021 Entry was gained by prying open the south side window. — chicagotribune.com, 11 Oct. 2021 Red Butte Garden occupies more than 100 acres on the south side of the mouth of Red Butte Canyon. — Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Oct. 2021 University Health also recently has purchased 80 acres in western Bexar County, 42.5 acres on the northeast side and 68 acres on the south side for future regional hospitals. — Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 6 Oct. 2021 According to Department of Labor records, a south Texas man prepared the petitions in the name of the Michigan landscaper as well as for Fantasy Amusements and many other businesses. — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2021 The highest number of undocumented migrants one south Texas nonprofit welcomed in one day: 2,000. — Ashley Soriano, Fox News, 20 Aug. 2021 Vinegaroons are most commonly found in west Texas but have been spotted in the Panhandle and in south Texas, according to Texas A&M's Field Guide to Common Texas Insects. — Dan Carson, Chron, 11 Aug. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun To help him get accustomed to the league during the preseason, he was asked to play a north-south game, manage the puck, and make high-percentage plays on his forehand. — BostonGlobe.com, 13 Oct. 2021 Loyola’s building would face La Grange Road, with limited access off 179th Street as well as access and parking off Chopin Drive, a north-south street that separates Loyola’s property from Moraine Valley. — Mike Nolan, chicagotribune.com, 12 Oct. 2021 The 2040 Northwest Arkansas Metropolitan Transportation Plan proposes such a north-south connector. — Ron Wood, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2021 On a recent afternoon, eight cyclists ran a red light en masse on the Boulevard de Sébastopol, a major north-south artery. — New York Times, 2 Oct. 2021 Serving as the main north-south road in the area and not having any access points along that stretch, Lyons Road frequently becomes a traffic nightmare with cars routinely bottlenecking on the road. — Wells Dusenbury, sun-sentinel.com, 1 Oct. 2021 Construction is also slated to begin this fall for the I-43 north-south reconstruction project and expansion project across Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties. — Eddie Morales, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2021 The orientation of the field at the new Aztec Stadium will be north-south. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2021 The bond approved by the Fisher Finance Committee will go toward continuing construction costs for the years-long rebuilding of the north-south road through Fishers. — John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Sep. 2021

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.