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

Among the first was Taft, Okla., 45 miles south of Tulsa, which elected Lelia Foley-Davis in 1973. — Cameron Mcwhirter, WSJ, "‘Hit the Ground Running’: Advice for Chicago’s First Black Woman Mayor From Other Trailblazers," 3 Apr. 2019 The company is building a new campus in the Hudson Square neighborhood, about a mile south of its current New York headquarters in the Chelsea neighborhood. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Google announces major expansion in New York City," 17 Dec. 2018 Frigid north winds blow down from the Arctic Ocean, freeze saltwater and push sea ice south. — Dan Joling, The Seattle Times, "Pace of Bering Sea changes startles scientists," 16 Apr. 2019 Today show star Kathie Lee Gifford is jumping on a plane and headed south right after her last day (April 5) on the NBC morning program. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "What 'Today' Star Kathie Lee Gifford Will Really Be Doing in Nashville After Leaving the Show," 28 Mar. 2019 All throughout Friday, news reports simmered that the Northern Lights would creep south this past weekend. — Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, "Keep on Chasing the Northern Lights," 25 Mar. 2019 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Instead of a west-to-east trajectory, the jet stream starts to follow more of a north-to-south path. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "What Is a Polar Vortex? The Frigid Weather Pattern Explained," 16 Jan. 2019 Choose a windowsill that faces south or southwest, which will get the brightest and most hours of sunlight per day. East- and west-facing windows often work okay. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, "How to Grow an Indoor Herb Garden That Actually Stays Alive All Winter," 7 Dec. 2018 All over the south polar region, Zhou said, similar construction was happening. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Read an excerpt from Kim Stanley Robinson’s next book," 18 Oct. 2018 Police with helmets moving into position at the south entrance of the Vienna metro. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "DC Metro criticized for how it handled white nationalists during Unite the Right," 12 Aug. 2018 Meadowlake Pet Resort & Training Center opened at 13500 Furman Road in south Houston in 2009. — Katherine Feser, Houston Chronicle, "Meadowlake Pet Resort to open near Galleria," 13 July 2018 The story of an office Christmas party gone south saw immediate success in 1988. — Omar Sanchez, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Cast of 'Die Hard,' Then and Now," 13 July 2018 The animal attraction in south Miami-Dade County quietly reopened on May 1, following an extensive clean-up project at the 30-acre park. — Chabeli Herrera, miamiherald, "Monkey Jungle has reopened. Here is what has happened since the animal-abuse allegations.," 12 July 2018 Naperville City Council members Tuesday will consider annexing land on Route 59 in south Naperville for a retail project that could trigger more commercial development in an area that’s now mostly residential. — Erin Hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville to consider annexing Route 59 church to make way for commerical development," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In the 60s, white people moved to suburbs because African-Americans had moved to northern cities from the south as part of the Great Migration. — Robert Sullivan, Vogue, "What If There Were No Borders?," 30 Nov. 2018 And also my other side of the family’s from the south. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki says ‘one of our biggest competitors’ is fake science on sites like Goop," 20 Oct. 2018 The Alps were formed about 30 million years ago, when the African tectonic plate collided from the south into the European tectonic plate. — Ken Jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, "Part of the Alps' Matterhorn Is in Africa," 23 July 2018 Tamera Mowry-Housley and her husband Adam’s home may be in Napa Valley, but the kitchen looks like it was plucked straight from the south. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "Tamera Mowry's Napa Valley Home Has the Most Amazing Farmhouse Kitchen," 13 July 2018 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

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.