noun

south

SOWTH

noun

The compass direction opposite north.

"The birds migrate south for the winter."

A region lying in the southern part of a country or continent, along with its people and culture.

"He grew up in the South and still has the accent."

adjective

Situated in or facing the south.

"They bought a house with a south-facing garden."

adverb

Toward the south.

"The road heads south for about ten miles before splitting."

How to Use South

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe direction opposite north, or a southern region/culture.

Common mistake

"Go south" is also used figuratively to mean "get worse" — "the deal went south."

Common pairings

head south the Deep South south of the border

Word Forms

further south comparative, farther south comparative, southed past tense, souths plural, souths singular, furthest south superlative, farthest south superlative

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The birds migrate _____ for the winter.

Etymology

From Old English suth, from Proto-Germanic *sunthraz, ultimately related to the Proto-Indo-European root for "sun."

Rhymes for south

mouth youth uncouth vermouth badmouth Plymouth Falmouth bigmouth loudmouth Dartmouth Portsmouth Bournemouth

See all rhymes for south →