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
G. F. Willsee also south of
1
: situated toward or at the south
the south entrance
2
: coming from the south
a south wind
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 WebCNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Before moving south, the storm caused the collapse of a portion of Highway 1 − better known as the Pacific Coast Highway − on Saturday about 17 miles south of Monterey in the central part of the state.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph, becoming south in the afternoon.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 29 Mar. 2024
Residents also expressed a desire for a larger community gathering room and to situate the entire complex along Santa Monica, moving the site south on the lot to create more space between the building and parking lot.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2024
The low-pressure system is expected to first bring rain to the Central Coast on Friday, expanding south over the next 72 hours and bringing rain, snow and gusty southerly winds across Southern California.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
As a sign of how Washington’s winter climate is shifting south, the annual snowfall average of 5.5 inches over the past five years is comparable to what Raleigh, N.C., expects in a typical winter.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Previously, travelers would typically need to fly into Cancún and drive about 80 miles south to access Tulum, a two-hour road trip that the new facility will mercifully eliminate for many passengers.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Mar. 2024
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
Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
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
The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
In May, San Diego at Gloria’s behest offered for sale or lease the four blocks commonly known as the Civic Center — bounded by A Street and C Street to the north and south, and First Avenue and Third Avenue to the east and west — and a fifth block at 101 Ash St.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
Novorossiya encompasses the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Odessa, and Zaporizhzhia—that is, Ukraine’s entire east and south—and Russia’s invasion plans featured a massive multipronged attack designed to capture these territories.
—Branislav L. Slantchev, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024
Listen to our daily D.C. forecasts: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Echo | More options
Through tonight: Clouds will increase as shower and storm chances move closer to town from the south and southwest.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
In the south, stay at the beloved family-run U Capu Biancu, a waterfront property overlooking the bay of Sant’ Amanza.
—Monica Mendal, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2024
In the 1950s, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg collaborated on window displays for Bergdorf Goodman, across the intersection from Tiffany’s, and Bonwit Teller, a block south.
—Andrew Russeth, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Concept 3: Includes similar design elements to Concept 2, with the western portion of Library Drive redesigned to extend south and connect to Pabst Avenue.
—Journal Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2024
Rain is arriving late evening and around midnight, earliest south and west.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Adverb
While the rainy season has brought relief in recent months further south in Brazil’s Amazon, the fires in Venezuela could be a worrying sign for what’s ahead once the dry season arrives there, said Manoela Machado, a fire researcher at University of Oxford.
—CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Before moving south, the storm caused the collapse of a portion of Highway 1 − better known as the Pacific Coast Highway − on Saturday about 17 miles south of Monterey in the central part of the state.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph, becoming south in the afternoon.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 29 Mar. 2024
Residents also expressed a desire for a larger community gathering room and to situate the entire complex along Santa Monica, moving the site south on the lot to create more space between the building and parking lot.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2024
The low-pressure system is expected to first bring rain to the Central Coast on Friday, expanding south over the next 72 hours and bringing rain, snow and gusty southerly winds across Southern California.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
As a sign of how Washington’s winter climate is shifting south, the annual snowfall average of 5.5 inches over the past five years is comparable to what Raleigh, N.C., expects in a typical winter.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Previously, travelers would typically need to fly into Cancún and drive about 80 miles south to access Tulum, a two-hour road trip that the new facility will mercifully eliminate for many passengers.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Mar. 2024
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
Adjective
The man was last seen on Milwaukee's near south side at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
—Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
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
Noun
Factory employees lived in scores of homes to the south.
—The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
In May, San Diego at Gloria’s behest offered for sale or lease the four blocks commonly known as the Civic Center — bounded by A Street and C Street to the north and south, and First Avenue and Third Avenue to the east and west — and a fifth block at 101 Ash St.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
Novorossiya encompasses the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Odessa, and Zaporizhzhia—that is, Ukraine’s entire east and south—and Russia’s invasion plans featured a massive multipronged attack designed to capture these territories.
—Branislav L. Slantchev, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024
Listen to our daily D.C. forecasts: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Echo | More options
Through tonight: Clouds will increase as shower and storm chances move closer to town from the south and southwest.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
In the south, stay at the beloved family-run U Capu Biancu, a waterfront property overlooking the bay of Sant’ Amanza.
—Monica Mendal, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2024
In the 1950s, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg collaborated on window displays for Bergdorf Goodman, across the intersection from Tiffany’s, and Bonwit Teller, a block south.
—Andrew Russeth, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Concept 3: Includes similar design elements to Concept 2, with the western portion of Library Drive redesigned to extend south and connect to Pabst Avenue.
—Journal Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2024
Rain is arriving late evening and around midnight, earliest south and west.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 22 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
Phrases Containing south
Dictionary Entries Near south
Cite this Entry
“South.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/south. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
south
1 of 3 adverb
: to or toward the south
south
2 of 3 adjective1
: situated toward or at the south
the south entrance
2
: coming from the south
a south wind
south
3 of 3 noun1
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
More from Merriam-Webster on south
Nglish: Translation of south for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of south for Arabic Speakers
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