south

1 of 3

adverb

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 southG. F. Will

see also south of

south

2 of 3

adjective

1
: situated toward or at the south
the south entrance
2
: coming from the south
a south wind

south

3 of 3

noun

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 sense 1 compare north sense 2b

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
The last Blue Line trolley service going south leaving the UTC Station is 11:18 p.m. and going north, the last trolley leaves the San Ysidro Station at 11:49 p.m. Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024 Turn right on Seventh Avenue and head south to downtown. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 Mark Harden, 52, who officials said died Wednesday in a four-vehicle crash on I-75 south in Sharonville, will be celebrated at services this week. The Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2024 Farther south, in summer, as many as 1,500 U.S. personnel operate at McMurdo Station. Elizabeth Buchanan, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2024 Two hours south, travelers are increasingly finding their way to Terlingua. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024 Angela Suarez, primary care medical director for Santa Clara Valley Healthcare, notes that the county system serves a disproportionate number of low-income, Medi-Cal, and Medicare patients, who often had to drive south to Gilroy or north to San Jose to receive care. Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 As a strong, cold weather system moves south across the Great Basin, much of California will be lashed by gusty, dangerous winds that are likely to down trees and knock out power. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Sunshine helps highs make a run into the mid-60s for most and a few spots (mainly south and southwest of the District) could flirt with 70. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Adjective
That is certainly the case in Yemen, on the south flank of the Arabian Peninsula, where the desert sands have a new look these days. Fred Pearce, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2024 The south wind will be 8 to 15 mph, becoming northwest in the afternoon. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024 Wanda Buchanan, a teacher, has lived for 49 years in the same home on Chisholm Trail, a road that overlooks large fields on the south edge of town. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Our neighbors to the south, Ohio, prefer Doritos as their snack of choice, which comes in No. 2 for Michigan. Amy Huschka, Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2024 Wilmer is a small town in south Dallas County about 50 miles from Fort Worth. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2024 Avila was convicted of fatally stabbing his girlfriend, Alina Burkman, 35, in a parking lot at a south Wichita Kmart in a dispute after the two had been evicted from a hotel in March 2012, according to reporting from the Wichita Eagle. Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2024 This will bring a warm, mild air mass from the south central plains to Wisconsin. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Among the landslides in the last year-plus, ones in the south end of the city caused the rail line to be closed for months because of track damage. Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Noun
Rain is arriving late evening and around midnight, earliest south and west. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 Population rises in the south On average, counties in the South experienced faster growth in 2023 than in 2022. USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024 Tibet, with a gross domestic product that is less than 2% of the richest province, Guangdong in the south, said this week the qualifying investment of $417,000 would have to stay untouched for five years. Fox News, 21 Mar. 2024 The Northern California racing circuit, admittedly inferior to the quality of racing in the south, is built on the idea of running California-breds. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The land delivery route is complex Just two entry points into the territory are regularly operating, both in the south. Gaya Gupta, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The report warned that if Israel broadens its offensive to the packed southern city of Rafah, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to do, the fighting could drive over 1 million people — half of Gaza’s population — into catastrophic hunger and potentially cause famine in the south. Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 The cold system is expected to ultimately creep into the Midwest, progressing south and east with time, while New York is set to drop to 45 degrees Tuesday, forecasts show. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Speeding up nature’s pace Worldwide, trees move north and south and up and down mountains in long-term response to changing climate, their seeds dispersed by winds and carried by animals. Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'south.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

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

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of south was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near south

Cite this Entry

“South.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/south. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

south

1 of 3 adverb
: to or toward the south

south

2 of 3 adjective
1
: situated toward or at the south
the south entrance
2
: coming from the south
a south wind

south

3 of 3 noun
1
a
: the direction to the right of one facing east
b
: the compass point opposite to north
2
capitalized : regions or countries south of a point that is mentioned or understood
especially : the southeastern part of the U.S.

Biographical Definition

South

biographical name

Robert 1634–1716 English clergyman

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