south

adverb \ ˈsau̇th \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

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

See south defined for English-language learners

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

The new, south terminal now under construction will house its checkpoint in what will amount to a very large box where lanes and officers can be added as needed.

— kevin spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando International Airport tops for bomb dogs," 13 Apr. 2018
These findings led the researchers to conclude that the sharks were engaging in a feeding frenzy on a fall plankton bloom before beginning their annual autumn migration south.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Massive Gathering of Mysterious Basking Sharks Found in Aerial Photos," 13 Apr. 2018
State police say troopers tried to stop Steven Brooks late Thursday for erratic driving in South Strabane, about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Police kill man wanted for slaying of Florida trombone player as she left practice," 13 Apr. 2018
In other words, Lamb ran with an independent streak similar to that of Dan Lipinski, an Illinois Democrat representing a district south and west of downtown Chicago.

— joe lieberman, Time, "Joe Lieberman: A New Way to Keep Ideologues Out of Congress," 13 Apr. 2018
Incumbent Don Ishmael’s 263 votes fell short of Anita Marie Lewis’s 269 votes in the Democratic primary in Kane County Board District 3, which covers a portion of Aurora’s south side.

— sarah freishtat, Aurora Beacon-News, "Behind by six votes, Kane County Board candidate plans to ask for recount," 12 Apr. 2018
The boundary slides south into the Chicago area in the late afternoon, and temperatures plummet, but the boundary shifts north into southern Wisconsin again Friday.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Warmest weather since October not destined to last," 12 Apr. 2018
Three blocks south, a cluster of modern-looking brownstones occupies an entire city block.

— ryan lillis, sacbee, "These 1910 homes hosted punk rockers and poets. They were just spared from demolition | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Apr. 2018
Rodríguez discovered that about one-third of the people sampled in Guerrero, the Pacific coastal state that lies nearly 2000 kilometers south of the U.S. border, also had up to 10% Asian ancestry, significantly more than most Mexicans.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "Latin America’s lost histories revealed in modern DNA," 12 Apr. 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

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

Until 2006, almost no people from the south thought to ask the Inuit about their disappearance.

— The Economist, "Louie Kamookak died on March 22nd," 12 Apr. 2018
The garage is seen as laying the groundwork for transforming an expanse of asphalt parking lots into a neighborhood of housing, shops and restaurants connecting Bushnell Park to south Hartford.

— kenneth r. gosselin, courant.com, "Hartford Bailout Puts XL Center Funding On Ice — At Least For Now," 12 Apr. 2018
There also are a lot of south suburban residents somewhere in the middle range of income earners.

— ted slowik, Daily Southtown, "Slowik: Should you support keeping Illinois flat tax? It depends on your income," 12 Apr. 2018
Metropolitan and other south-of-Delta interests say the tunnels also will serve an important role as the climate warms because California will need to do a better job capturing huge gulps of water in limited windows when rivers run high.

— ryan sabalow and dale kasler, sacbee, "Massive Delta tunnels project took a giant step forward – here’s what you need to know | The Sacramento Bee," 11 Apr. 2018
Projects supported by this funding include: Developing disaster strategies and plans for rebuilding infrastructure in Jean Lafitte and other south Jefferson Parish communities.

— tristan baurick, NOLA.com, "Are Mississippi River fish safe to eat? It depends: report," 11 Apr. 2018
The Algerie Presse service agency said the Iliouchine-type plane was headed for Bechar in south-western Algeria.

— Fox News, "Hundreds feared dead in Algerian military plane crash near base, local reports say," 11 Apr. 2018
El Fenix turns 100 with a $5.99 special Related stories from Fort Worth Star Telegram New barbecue for south Arlington, burgers for Mansfield Arlington, here's your newest burger.

— bud kennedy, star-telegram, "Here's the new Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Fort Worth, plus an El Fenix deal and Fixe lunch | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 11 Apr. 2018
Sisco’s guilt or innocence hinged in part on surveillance video that captured the shooting at the Filling Station Restaurant and Lounge in south Kansas City in the early morning hours of Oct. 16, 2006.

— ian cummings, kansascity, "Prosecutors withheld key to video evidence in Kansas City murder, convict tells court | The Kansas City Star," 10 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of south

before 12th century

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

The terror group is now based mainly in rural areas in the south of the country, having lost control of Mogadishu in 2011.

— omar nor, CNN, "Deadly bomb attack targets Somalia soccer crowd," 13 Apr. 2018
The previous deadliest crash on Algerian soil occurred in 2003, when 102 people were killed after a civilian airliner crashed at the end of the runway in Tamanrasset, in the south.

— Bloomberg.com, "Algerian Military Plane Crashes in a Field, Killing 257," 11 Apr. 2018
All but one of the 103 people aboard were killed when an Air Algeria Boeing 737 crashed on takeoff from Tamanrasset in the south of the country.

— alexandra zavis, latimes.com, "More than 250 killed when military transport plane crashes in Algeria," 11 Apr. 2018
The state Senate district generally includes everything east of Florida’s Turnpike from Lake Worth in the north to Delray Beach in the south.

— staff and wire reports, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Voters choose Jeff Clemens replacement in special election today," 10 Apr. 2018
The Turkish invasion has also siphoned Kurdish fighters away from the fight against the Islamic State in the south, slowing it down, US officials say.

— ben hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, "As Trump seeks way out of Syria, gas attack pulls him back in," 9 Apr. 2018
California is always the familiar Democratic blue in those political maps on TV, but the state still has notable swaths of red, particularly in the south.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Red California's revenge on sanctuary laws," 6 Apr. 2018
The valley stretches over 1,800 miles from the Gulf of Aden in the north towards Zimbabwe in the south, splitting the African plate into two unequal parts: the smaller Somali plate and much larger Nubian plate, Perez Diaz noted.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Breaking up is hard to do: Africa could eventually split into two continents," 4 Apr. 2018
Thanks to two glittering events, VIPs from across the world spend much of this month in the south of France and Monaco.

— mark ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Places to Travel in May," 3 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of south

13th century

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.