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

Ahmed died in a head-on collision Saturday afternoon on South 188th Street just south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office. — Mike Baker, The Seattle Times, "SeaTac Councilmember Amina Ahmed dies in car crash 7 weeks after joining council," 10 Dec. 2018 On Monday, an employee of a flooring company died when a tornado touched down in Chesterfield, just south of Richmond. — Denise Lavoie, Fox News, "Virginia man killed in flash flood from Florence remnants," 18 Sep. 2018 And in the 26th District just south of Parkland, Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a nonprofit consultant, will take on incumbent Republican Representative Carlos Curbelo, who has a record of being critical of the President. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "Florida's Wait for a Woman Governor Continues, but Diversity Still Wins," 29 Aug. 2018 Current TimeÂ 0:00 / DurationÂ 2:29 Crowd gathers at Texas' Surfside Beach to watch woman reel in 6-foot shark Advertisement Lauren Biggers, 29, reeled in a 6-foot blacktip shark on Surfside Beach just south of Galveston, Texas. — Matthew Martinez, miamiherald, "Model swam with sharks. One bite and six stitches later, she says she’d do it again," 11 July 2018 The forecast calls for Chris making landfall or passing just south of the Avalon Peninsula as a strong post-tropical storm Thursday evening. — Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, "Hurricane Chris threatens East Coast with dangerous rip currents through weekend," 11 July 2018 That site is just south of large residential developments underway, including Riverline and Southbank. — Ryan Ori, chicagotribune.com, "Almost 900 homes planned for former Harold Ickes site," 10 July 2018 In Kake, the nearest law enforcement officer is about 100 miles south, in Juneau. — Rebecca Nagle, Teen Vogue, "The Violence Against Women Act Doesn't Include the Majority of Alaska Native Women," 29 Nov. 2018 With the basics covered, Risen orders a sampling to orient me to three basic regions: the Lowlands, farthest south, extending from the border with England to a bit above Edinburgh; the Highlands, the rest of the mainland; and the Islands. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, "Demystifying Single Malt Scotch," 21 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Her memoir, Becoming—which tells the story of her life beginning on the south side of Chicago and through her eight years in the White House—is the best-selling book of the year. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Michelle Obama Is America's 'Most Admired Woman' of 2018," 28 Dec. 2018 By the start of the 2016 season, Florida State had added a huge new video board, ripped out bleacher seats and replaced them with chairbacks and added premium areas in the south end zone. — Andy Staples, SI.com, "The Message Behind the Money: How Texas A&M Landed Jimbo Fisher," 28 June 2018 The 2,000-square-foot area, operated by Pet Paradise, will open this fall in the south end zone and will feature artificial turf, a pool and palm trees. — Mark Long, chicagotribune.com, "Jaguars unveil 'no-nonsense, all business' uniforms and helmets for 2018," 19 Apr. 2018 More than a dozen more are at multiple sites in south Florida and 22 at a shelter in San Antonio. — Louise Radnofsky, WSJ, "Amid Chaos at Border, Some Immigrant Families Reunite," 24 June 2018 Bolay This gluten-free chain started in south Florida and is working its way up the state and hopefully to the other contiguous 47. — Andy Staples, SI.com, "Joe Moorhead’s Goal Isn’t Just to Win at Mississippi State. It’s to Win Championships.," 11 June 2018 In south Florida, residents should expect rainfall totals of 3 to 7 inches, with maximum amounts of 10 inches, forecasters said. — Manuel Torres, NOLA.com, "Subtropical Storm Alberto turns toward Gulf, bringing heavy rain: Latest update," 26 May 2018 As much as 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain is possible in south Florida, where some areas had more than 14 inches (35 centimeters) of rain last weekend. — Washington Post, "Rain from Gulf floods Southeast; tropical storm possible," 23 May 2018 For example, the vaccination schedule for a bird dog in south Texas should include a rattlesnake vaccine, while a dog in the Northeast may place more emphasis on a Lyme vaccination. — Shelby Deering, Country Living, "Ask a Country Vet: How Can I Keep My Sporting Dog Healthy and Happy?," 11 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

And yet, despite all the rapid development around the island’s main hubs to the south, vast swaths of the landscape remain pretty much undisturbed. — Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "Finding the Bali You Came For," 16 Nov. 2018 Pinfold is now the leader of an experiment looking for theoretical particles with single magnetic charges — a north without a south, and vice versa. — Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, "Scientists Hunt for A Seeming Paradox: A Magnet With Only One Pole," 13 Nov. 2018 Austin has a very natural north-south transit corridor along Guadalupe Street. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Austin can’t stay weird," 28 Sep. 2018 Running a 13-mile path that travels within a quarter mile of roughly 150,000 jobs, this north-south route presents an axis of opportunity. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "9 cities with smart ideas to improve transportation," 18 Sep. 2018 To the south, both South Carolina and Georgia have been watching Florence's path. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Florence Makes Landfall, Hundreds Already Need Evacuation," 14 Sep. 2018 The Spine Trail follows a west-to-east subridge that climbs and meets the north-south flank of Montara Mountain. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "’Tis the season for ‘Dancing with Fog’," 12 July 2018 The lines naturally cluster at the four points of the compass for American cities that are laid out on north-south/east-west grids. — Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston’s streets do go in all sorts of directions. These charts prove it," 12 July 2018 The portion sold to Pittman is currently farmland bounded by neighborhoods to the east and south, estate lots to the west and the school to the north. — Chris Sikich, Indianapolis Star, "University High School sells land south of 116th Street campus to Carmel developer," 11 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.