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

Authorities said that the construction will take place on Morgan Ross Road between 0.3 miles north of Paddy's Run Road and half a mile south of Ohio 126. — Madeline Mitchell, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati traffic: Morgan Ross Road closes Tuesday," 13 July 2018 Her primary complaint is with Wild Willy’s Airboat Tours, which operates from a private marina about a half mile south of her home. — Ryan Gillespie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Despite new law, homeowners on Lake Toho still complain about airboat noise," 13 July 2018 In Utah, Way and his wife helped run a charter school, also named American Leadership Academy, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. — Craig Harris, azcentral, "Arizona charter school founder makes millions building his own schools," 11 July 2018 Foxconn's operations will be in Mount Pleasant, about 15 miles south of Ryan Business Park. — Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Oak Creek could spend $30 million for new business park which might land Foxconn suppliers," 9 July 2018 Large numbers of law enforcement officers responded to the one-story brick building on the edge of McComb, about 100 miles south of Jackson. — NBC News, "Mississippi man stabs relatives in federal office — shot dead by security guard," 9 July 2018 Gudrun and her mother, Margarete, had also fled from their home in Gmünd, about 300 miles south of Berlin, but were captured by American troops in northern Italy. — Richard Sandomir, New York Times, "Gudrun Burwitz, Ever-Loyal Daughter of Himmler, Is Dead at 88," 6 July 2018 Well-water means life, said Mary Wanjiru, who manages the Rongai Roasting House, a restaurant in nearby Ukunda town, about 19 miles south of Mombasa, Kenya's second largest city. — Isaiah Esipisu, The Christian Science Monitor, "In sustainability search, Kenya studies the unknown depths of its aquifers," 2 July 2018 The district, about 20 miles south of Riverside, has nearly 4,000 students. — Laura Groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Oceanside announces new school superintendent," 30 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

That proposal calls for more water to flow naturally through the Delta — and out to the ocean — leaving less for pumping to the south state. — Dale Kasler, sacbee, "Southern California water agency agrees to spend $11 billion on Delta tunnels - again," 10 July 2018 One person was injured in a crash during a Wednesday night pursuit by the Border Patrol on south state Route 125 in La Mesa, authorities said. — Pauline Repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "1 injured in crash during Border Patrol pursuit," 2 May 2018 Much of south-central Indiana is included in a hazardous weather outlook issued by the Weather Service. — Holly V. Hays, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis weather: Large hail, isolated tornadoes possible in Central Indiana," 2 Apr. 2018 On Saturday morning, the north side of Harrison Street and south side of Hollywood Boulvevard between 19th Avenue and 21st Avenue remained without power, the city said. — Juan Ortega, Sun-Sentinel.com, "FPL restores power to downtown Hollywood after damaged pole caused outage," 14 July 2018 Parking is on the south side, and the front door is off a pretty side porch. — Joan Walden, courant.com, "288 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury," 21 June 2018 Meanwhile, the single-level south side of the home has vertically-clad siding, which is designed to merge with the surrounding trees and grasses. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Gorgeous modern home masterfully retreats into nature," 19 June 2018 According to the Chicago Tribune, the Friday night event saw hundreds of people walking across the south side after a rally that included appearances by Parkland survivors and Chance the Rapper, and performances from Jennifer Hudson and Will.i.am. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "The 2018 Chicago Peace March and Rally in 13 Photos," 17 June 2018 Yes, Trump’s national approval ratings have drifted upward in 2018, but are still well south of 50 percent. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Not Very Popular in the Heartland States He Won in 2016," 15 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Both the north and south exits at West Street also will be closed as will the exit to Meridian Street. — Justin L. Mack, Indianapolis Star, "Commuters confront Downtown I-65 closure as holiday weekend ends," 9 July 2018 The 45-year-old pilot, Mark Davies, and his wife, Janet, were heading to Howell, about 300 miles to the south. — Fox News, "Wreckage believed to be from 1997 Michigan plane crash found," 13 July 2018 But many of those have probably sped past another worthy destination just to the south: Algoma. — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Algoma is a day trip away along Lake Michigan," 12 July 2018 The Chateau Fire in the state’s south central mountains has burned about two square miles, but all residents have been allowed to return home. — BostonGlobe.com, "3 arrested in connection with Colorado wildfire," 10 July 2018 Mercy Health to the north and the Kenwood Place shopping center with the Kenwood Theatre to the south. — Jeanne Houck, Cincinnati.com, "Zoning Commission puts the brakes on proposed $90 million Kenwood project," 10 July 2018 The most dramatic increases in college graduates and six-figure households took place in an area bordered by the Bishop Ford Freeway to the east, 103rd Street to the north, Cottage Grove Avenue to the west, and 111th Street to the south. — Sandra Guy, Chicago Reader, "News / Architecture / Neighborhoods Pullman to get first new residential building in nearly 50 years," 10 July 2018 In 2009, sugar growers to the south curtailed decades of back-pumping water loaded with fertilizer from fields. — Jenny Staletovich, miamiherald, "What’s an algae bloom and how did it wind up sliming Florida’s biggest lake?," 10 July 2018 Krasnodar, one of the fastest-growing cities in Russia’s south, was on the proposed host cities list but was removed at the last moment in 2012. — New York Times, "Russia’s Most Soccer-Mad City, Excluded From the World Cup," 9 July 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.