south·ern
ˈsə-t͟hərn 
1
capitalized
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated South
2
a
: lying toward the south
b
: coming from the south
a southern wind
: the dialect of English spoken in most of the Chesapeake Bay area, the coastal plain and the greater part of the upland plateau in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and the Gulf states at least as far west as the valley of the Brazos in Texas and sometimes taken to include the south Midland area
Examples of southern in a Sentence
Adjective
the southern part of the state
the southern shore of the lake
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Bradley, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument
This route traverses winding mountain roads through Los Padres and spits you out near the southern entrance to Carrizo Plain — a vast preserve of native grassland and a hotspot for wildflowers (at least on some years) and birdwatching.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
While the stage is set for critical fire weather in the central and southern High Plains, a winter storm will bring heavy snow over parts of the Central Rockies.
—Taylor Ward, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
About five seconds of slight shaking was felt in Cape Cod, Mass., and a few people reported it in southern Maine.
—Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Migrants have crossed illegally in record numbers during the Biden administration, with an average of 2 million annual Border Patrol encounters along the entire southern border since 2021, the highest levels on record.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
Northern and southern Indiana are still expected to experience some clouds.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2024
Toro Muerto is in the mountains of southern Peru along the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
The remaining facility, a converted juvenile detention facility, will have the space for about 150 migrants, vastly reducing their capacity to take in migrants from across southern Arizona.
—Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
Patrick Smith, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024
The main commencement ceremony at the University of Southern California has been cancelled.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024
That thing comes to Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center (aka Funner, Calif.) on Saturday night.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2024
Apache Generating Station is owned by Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, which supplies electricity to 150,000 rural homes and businesses, mostly in Arizona but also a few in Southern California’s Riverside County.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Dozens of protesters have been arrested since Wednesday night, including at the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin and Emerson College.
—Ayana Archie, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024
Bove is a former federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
The footage was filmed in Bulgaria in 2018, in recreations of the couple's Southern California homes.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2024
Property description: For those seeking an untraditional stay, the Southern Caboose x525 is located on a working cattle farm.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 13 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Naim Qassem faulted Israel and the United States for perpetuating tit-for-tat attacks that have killed hundreds in southern Lebanon and displaced tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument
This route traverses winding mountain roads through Los Padres and spits you out near the southern entrance to Carrizo Plain — a vast preserve of native grassland and a hotspot for wildflowers (at least on some years) and birdwatching.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
While the stage is set for critical fire weather in the central and southern High Plains, a winter storm will bring heavy snow over parts of the Central Rockies.
—Taylor Ward, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
About five seconds of slight shaking was felt in Cape Cod, Mass., and a few people reported it in southern Maine.
—Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Migrants have crossed illegally in record numbers during the Biden administration, with an average of 2 million annual Border Patrol encounters along the entire southern border since 2021, the highest levels on record.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
Northern and southern Indiana are still expected to experience some clouds.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2024
Toro Muerto is in the mountains of southern Peru along the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
The remaining facility, a converted juvenile detention facility, will have the space for about 150 migrants, vastly reducing their capacity to take in migrants from across southern Arizona.
—Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles issued the statement on the day a demonstration on the campus of the University of Southern California, which is in Los Angeles, devolved into vandalism and confrontations, according to the university.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024
The main commencement ceremony at the University of Southern California has been cancelled.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024
That thing comes to Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center (aka Funner, Calif.) on Saturday night.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2024
Apache Generating Station is owned by Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, which supplies electricity to 150,000 rural homes and businesses, mostly in Arizona but also a few in Southern California’s Riverside County.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Dozens of protesters have been arrested since Wednesday night, including at the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin and Emerson College.
—Ayana Archie, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024
Bove is a former federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
The footage was filmed in Bulgaria in 2018, in recreations of the couple's Southern California homes.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2024
Property description: For those seeking an untraditional stay, the Southern Caboose x525 is located on a working cattle farm.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 13 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'southern.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near southern
Cite this Entry
“Southern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southern. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
southern
adjective
south·ern
ˈsət͟h-ərn
1
capitalized
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the South
2
: lying toward or coming from the south
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