sound

[ sound ]

/ saʊnd /

verb (used with object)

to measure or try the depth of (water, a deep hole, etc.) by letting down a lead or plummet at the end of a line, or by some equivalent means.

to measure (depth) in such a manner, as at sea.

to examine or test (the bottom, as of the sea or a deep hole) with a lead that brings up adhering bits of matter.

to examine or investigate; seek to fathom or ascertain: to sound a person's views.

to seek to elicit the views or sentiments of (a person) by indirect inquiries, suggestive allusions, etc. (often followed by out): Why not sound him out about working for us?

Surgery. to examine, as the urinary bladder, with a sound.

verb (used without object)

to use the lead and line or some other device for measuring depth, as at sea.

to go down or touch bottom, as a lead.

to plunge downward or dive, as a whale.

to make investigation; seek information, especially by indirect inquiries.

noun

Surgery. a long, slender instrument for sounding or exploring body cavities or canals.

Origin of sound

1300–50; Middle English sounden < Old French sonder to plumb, derivative of sonde sounding line < ?

OTHER WORDS FROM sound

sound·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby sound

soul-kiss, soul-searching, soulful, soulless, soult, sound, sound and the fury, the, sound as a bell, sound barrier, sound bite, sound block

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (1 of 6)

sound out

verb

(tr, adverb) to question (someone) in order to discover (opinions, facts, etc)

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (2 of 6)

sound ¹

/ (saʊnd) /

noun

a periodic disturbance in the pressure or density of a fluid or in the elastic strain of a solid, produced by a vibrating object. It has a velocity in air at sea level at 0°C of 331 metres per second (741 miles per hour) and travels as longitudinal waves
(as modifier)a sound wave

(modifier) of or relating to radio as distinguished from television sound broadcasting; sound radio

the sensation produced by such a periodic disturbance in the organs of hearing

anything that can be heard

a particular instance, quality, or type of sound the sound of running water

volume or quality of sound a radio with poor sound

the area or distance over which something can be heard to be born within the sound of Big Ben

the impression or implication of something I don't like the sound of that

phonetics the auditory effect produced by a specific articulation or set of related articulations

(often plural) slang music, esp rock, jazz, or pop

verb

to cause (something, such as an instrument) to make a sound or (of an instrument, etc) to emit a sound

to announce or be announced by a sound to sound the alarm

(intr) (of a sound) to be heard

(intr) to resonate with a certain quality or intensity to sound loud

(copula) to give the impression of being as specified when read, heard, etc to sound reasonable

(tr) to pronounce distinctly or audibly to sound one's consonants

(intr usually foll by in) law to have the essential quality or nature (of) an action sounding in damages

Derived forms of sound

soundable, adjective

Word Origin for sound

C13: from Old French soner to make a sound, from Latin sonāre, from sonus a sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (3 of 6)

sound ²

/ (saʊnd) /

adjective

free from damage, injury, decay, etc

firm; solid; substantial a sound basis

financially safe or stable a sound investment

showing good judgment or reasoning; sensible; wise sound advice

valid, logical, or justifiable a sound argument

holding approved beliefs; ethically correct; upright; honest

(of sleep) deep; peaceful; unbroken

thorough; complete a sound examination

British informal excellent

law (of a title, etc) free from defect; legally valid

constituting a valid and justifiable application of correct principles; orthodox sound theology

logic

(of a deductive argument) valid
(of an inductive argument) according with whatever principles ensure the high probability of the truth of the conclusion given the truth of the premises
another word for consistent (def. 5b)

adverb

soundly; deeply: now archaic except when applied to sleep

Derived forms of sound

soundly, adverb soundness, noun

Word Origin for sound

Old English sund; related to Old Saxon gisund, Old High German gisunt

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (4 of 6)

sound ³

/ (saʊnd) /

verb

to measure the depth of (a well, the sea, etc) by lowering a plumb line, by sonar, etc

to seek to discover (someone's views, etc), as by questioning

(intr) (of a whale, etc) to dive downwards swiftly and deeply

med

to probe or explore (a bodily cavity or passage) by means of a sound
to examine (a patient) by means of percussion and auscultation

noun

med an instrument for insertion into a bodily cavity or passage to dilate strictures, dislodge foreign material, etc

Word Origin for sound

C14: from Old French sonder, from sonde sounding line, probably of Germanic origin; related to Old English sundgyrd sounding pole, Old Norse sund strait, sound 4; see swim

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (5 of 6)

sound ⁴

/ (saʊnd) /

noun

a relatively narrow channel between two larger areas of sea or between an island and the mainland

an inlet or deep bay of the sea

the air bladder of a fish

Word Origin for sound

Old English sund swimming, narrow sea; related to Middle Low German sunt strait; see sound ³

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (6 of 6)

Sound

/ (saʊnd) /

noun

the Sound a strait between SW Sweden and Zealand (Denmark), linking the Kattegat with the Baltic: busy shipping lane; spanned by a bridge in 2000. Length of the strait: 113 km (70 miles). Narrowest point: 5 km (3 miles) Danish name: Øresund Swedish name: Öresund

Scientific definitions for sound out (1 of 2)

sound ¹

[ sound ]

A type of longitudinal wave that originates as the vibration of a medium (such as a person's vocal cords or a guitar string) and travels through gases, liquids, and elastic solids as variations of pressure and density. The loudness of a sound perceived by the ear depends on the amplitude of the sound wave and is measured in decibels, while its pitch depends on its frequency, measured in hertz.

The sensation produced in the organs of hearing by waves of this type. See Note at ultrasound.

Scientific definitions for sound out (2 of 2)

sound ²

[ sound ]

A long, wide inlet of the ocean, often parallel to the coast. Long Island Sound, between Long Island and the coast of New England, is an example.

A long body of water, wider than a strait, that connects larger bodies of water.

Idioms and Phrases with sound out (1 of 2)

sound out

Seek the views or intentions of, as in We'd better sound out Mom about who's using the station wagon, or Let's sound out the staff before we decide which week we should close for vacation. This expression derives from sound meaning “to measure the depth of water by lowering a line or lead.” It was transferred to other kinds of inquiry in the late 1500s, but out was not added for several centuries.

Idioms and Phrases with sound out (2 of 2)

sound

In addition to the idioms beginning with sound

sound as a bell
sound bite
sound off
sound out

also see:

safe and sound

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sound

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of sound

OTHER WORDS FROM sound

Words nearby sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (1 of 6)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (2 of 6)

noun

verb

Derived forms of sound

Word Origin for sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (3 of 6)

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of sound

Word Origin for sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (4 of 6)

verb

noun

Word Origin for sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (5 of 6)

noun

Word Origin for sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (6 of 6)

noun

Scientific definitions for sound out (1 of 2)

Scientific definitions for sound out (2 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with sound out (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with sound out (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sound

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of sound

OTHER WORDS FROM sound

Words nearby sound

Words related to sound out

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for sound out (1 of 6)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (2 of 6)

noun

verb

Derived forms of sound

Word Origin for sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (3 of 6)

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of sound

Word Origin for sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (4 of 6)

verb

noun

Word Origin for sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (5 of 6)

noun

Word Origin for sound

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (6 of 6)

noun

Scientific definitions for sound out (1 of 2)

Scientific definitions for sound out (2 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with sound out (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with sound out (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for sound out (1 of 6)