south

adverb \ ˈsau̇th \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Examples: south in a Sentence

Definition of south

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

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See south defined for kids

Examples of south in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of south from the Web

In the case of Brokaw, a small village north of Wausau, things went south when the local paper mill shut down in 2012.

— bob dohr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Seeing red: Which Milwaukee suburbs are closest to their debt limits?," 11 July 2018
Drivers should be aware of a detour for eastbound traffic going south on Ohio 732, east on Stillwell Road and north on Bunker Hill Woods Road to McCoy Road.

— madeline mitchell, Cincinnati.com, "Traffic alert: McCoy Road closes Thursday," 10 July 2018
Or go south on Saturday and sign up for a community cleanup and paddle in Jamaica Bay.

— New York Times, "Free (or Cheap) Things to Do in NYC This Weekend," 5 July 2018
West access at Rogers Lake: Go 7.8 miles south on Woody Mountain Road to the Gold Digger trailhead.

— mare czinar, azcentral, "Flagstaff hike: Rogers Trail hike is a lovely walk in the woods," 5 July 2018
Oakland Raiders The offense went south last year, but there’s no issue with Derek Carr, who is talented.

— SI.com, "Fantasy Football Preseason Reports: A Scout’s Take on Every Team," 5 July 2018
Retirees have begun fretting about whether GE's underfunded pension fund may go south too.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "General Electric's downward spiral continues to slam retirees," 29 June 2018
When the associate pastor Joshua (Jeff Rolle Jr.) begs to differ, opting for the more-traditional approach, things go south in a hurry.

— tom titus, latimes.com, "On Theater: A crisis of faith provokes 'The Christians' at Costa Mesa Playhouse," 28 June 2018
The mine’s original road goes south to Hart Ranch Road and through a neighborhood that had complained vociferously about trucks.

— kevin spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Florida plan for Lake County sand mine provokes residents' ire," 22 June 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.

Origin and Etymology of south

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

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First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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south

adjective

Definition of south

1 : situated toward or at the south

the south entrance

2 : coming from the south

a south wind

See south defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of south from the Web

Six people have been sentenced to up to 2 ½-year in prison in south-central Binh Thuan province on charges of disturbing order.

— Fox News, "Vietnam to try American for disturbing order in protests," 13 July 2018
The weather service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for south-central San Diego County.

— robert krier, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Severe thunderstorm warning issued in San Diego County," 11 July 2018
On their agenda: Six days of backpacking in June through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve in south-central Alaska.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Missouri hikers were on 'trip of a lifetime' in Alaska. Their lives ended there," 5 July 2018
Anchorage is located in the south-central part of the state on the Cook Inlet, which stretches 180 miles.

— nancy trejos, USA TODAY, "Where should you travel in July? Here are some ideas.," 2 July 2018
Specifically, there are chances for thunderstorms Saturday night into early Sunday morning with severe storms possible, mainly over south-central Wisconsin.

— joe taschler and james b. nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Dangerous heat arrives in Wisconsin; heat index tops 106 in Milwaukee, 114 in LaCrosse," 29 June 2018
The seats in northeastern Wisconsin's 1st Senate District and south-central Wisconsin's 42nd Assembly District have stood vacant since December when Gov. Scott Walker appointed Republican incumbents Frank Lasee and Keith Ripp to his administration.

— todd richmond, chicagotribune.com, "2 special elections are next test for parties in swing-state Wisconsin," 12 June 2018
Democrat Ann Groves Lloyd meets Republican Jon Plumer in south-central Wisconsin's 42nd Assembly District.

— todd richmond, The Christian Science Monitor, "Wisconsin special elections could build red or blue momentum," 11 June 2018
Ash was falling on the Guatemala City area, as well as on the departments of Sacatepequez, Chimaltenango and Escuintla, which are in south-central Guatemala around the volcano.

— NBC News, "At least 7 killed, 20 hurt by erupting volcano in Guatemala," 4 June 2018

First Known Use of south

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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south

noun

Definition of south

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 1 — compare north 2b

See south defined for English-language learners

Examples of south in a Sentence

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 of south from the Web

Nazario, emerging from the restaurant’s shattered entrance, also spotted the 6-foot-5 Benton pointing out the gunman and approached from the south.

— frances stead sellers, Washington Post, "Two Oklahoma citizens killed an active shooter, and it's not as simple as it sounds," 13 July 2018
Here are eight lighthouses worth visiting along Lake Michigan, from south to north.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "8 spectacular Lake Michigan lighthouses to visit in Wisconsin," 12 July 2018
Both lanes can be used safely to enter I-5 then because there is no traffic coming from the south.

— michelle baruchman, The Seattle Times, "Revive I-5: Why you see traffic barrels blocking a lane even when there’s no active construction," 9 July 2018
Even as Beryl approaches Maria-battered and still recovering Puerto Rico from the south early Monday as a tropical storm, few were ignoring the threat two days out.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "Beryl weakens to a tropical storm with winds up to 60 mph as it heads toward islands," 7 July 2018
The changeover on Perry and Clayton Streets from Pike Street south to the merge will take place over several weeks beginning July 9 based on the amount of work accomplished by crews on the previous night.

— karen huppertz, ajc, "Lawrenceville to begin downtown two-way street conversion," 6 July 2018
When President Trump came into office, a full-scale border wall seemed like such a simple solution to his supporters who wanted to end the flow of migrants from the south.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Why Trump can’t ignore Central America," 6 July 2018
The centers would be set up at certain crossing points along Germany’s border with Austria, where migrants arriving from the south would be screened to determine whether they had already applied for asylum in another country in the European Union.

— melissa eddy, New York Times, "Migration Deal Rescued Merkel’s Government. Now, She Must Save the Pact.," 4 July 2018
Construction material is stored in the street — on the west side of Van Ness from Bush Street south to the Civic Center — and in the center from Bush north.

— carl nolte, SFChronicle.com, "Streets of San Francisco are always being dug up," 30 June 2018

First Known Use of south

13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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South

biographical name \ ˈsau̇th \

Definition of South

Robert 1634–1716 English clergyman

SOUTH Defined for English Language Learners

south

adverb

Definition of south for English Language Learners

: to or toward the south
: into a worse state or condition

south

adjective

Definition of south for English Language Learners

: located in or toward the south
: coming from the south

south

noun

Definition of south for English Language Learners

: the direction that is to your right when you are facing the rising sun : the direction that is the opposite of north
: regions or countries south of a certain point; especially : the southern part of the U.S.