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• south
  south

  noun

  a cardinal point of the compass lying directly opposite north. S
• South
  South

  noun

  the southern part of England, generally regarded as lying to the south of an imaginary line between the Wash and the Severn

south

American  

[south, south, south] / saʊθ, saʊθ, saʊð /

noun

1. a cardinal point of the compass lying directly opposite north. S

2. the direction in which this point lies.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a region or territory situated in this direction.

4. the South, the general area south of Pennsylvania and the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi, consisting mainly of those states that formed the Confederacy.

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adjective

1. lying toward or situated in the south; directed or proceeding toward the south.

2. coming from the south, as a wind.

adverb

1. to, toward, or in the south.

2. Informal. into a state of serious decline, loss, or the like.

   Sales went south during the recession.

verb (used without object)

1. to turn or move in a southerly direction.

2. Astronomy. to cross the meridian.

South ¹ British  

/ saʊθ /

noun

1. the southern part of England, generally regarded as lying to the south of an imaginary line between the Wash and the Severn

2. 1. the area approximately south of Pennsylvania and the Ohio River, esp those states south of the Mason-Dixon line that formed the Confederacy during the Civil War

   2. the Confederacy itself

3. the countries of the world that are not economically and technically advanced

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adjective

1. 1. of or denoting the southern part of a specified country, area, etc

   2. ( capital as part of a name )

      the South Pacific

south ² British  

/ saʊθ /

noun

1. one of the four cardinal points of the compass, at 180° from north and 90° clockwise from east and anticlockwise from west

2. the direction along a meridian towards the South Pole

3. (often capital) any area lying in or towards the south

4. (usually capital) cards the player or position at the table corresponding to south on the compass

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adjective

1. situated in, moving towards, or facing the south

2. (esp of the wind) from the south

adverb

1. in, to, or towards the south

2. archaic (of the wind) from the south

south Idioms  

1. see go south.

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Etymology

Origin of south

before 900; Middle English suth ( e ), south ( e ) (adv., adj., and noun), Old English sūth (adv. and adj.); cognate with Old High German sund-

Explanation

If you're holding a compass, south is the direction that's directly opposite north. If you're standing in Tennessee, then Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia will be to the south. When you need to head south on a hiking trail, you can consult your compass and turn in the direction that's 180 degrees from north. And if you visit the South of France, you'll be staying in the southern part of the country geographically—luckily for you, it's also the warmest, sunniest part of France. The word south has a Germanic root meaning "sun-side."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

south South

The partial eclipse began at about 18:00 BST in northern Scotland and just before 18:20 on the south coast of England.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

It crashed around 1:30 p.m. local time south of Salado, which is about 50 miles north of Austin, Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

A ferry transporting more than 70 people sank while sailing near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi, last month.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

At La Albufera National Park, a protected coastal wetland covering 21,000 hectares south of Valencia, officials have spent the past week turning away or ejecting unauthorized onlookers attempting to enter restricted areas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Sometimes bears, wolves, and other predators are already south, working the sheep farms down where it is more settled—they take a terrible toll of sheep—and we catch them on the way back through.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

A group of South Korean tourists burst into enthusiastic applause.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

North America and South America are at a record-low burn since 2012.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The franchise was investing in assistant general manager positions this offseason, growing its sports science resources with the help of the Dodgers and moving G League operations from the South Bay to the Coachella Valley.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

People gathered at beaches, parks and attractions across the South East to watch the Moon pass in front of the Sun during a partial solar eclipse.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Before dawn on March 1, 1954, a Japanese fishing boat named Lucky Dragon drifted in calm South Pacific waters.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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