sough

¹ American  

[sou, suhf] / saʊ, sʌf /

verb (used without object)

1. to make a rushing, rustling, or murmuring sound.

   the wind soughing in the meadow.

2. Scot. and North England. to speak, especially to preach, in a whining, singsong voice.

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noun

1. a sighing, rustling, or murmuring sound.

2. Scot. and North England.

   1. a sigh or deep breath.

   2. a whining, singsong manner of speaking.

   3. a rumor; unconfirmed report.

sough ² American  

[suhf, sou] / sʌf, saʊ /

especially Scot., sugh

noun

1. a drain, drainage ditch, gutter, or sewer.

2. a swampy or marshy area; slough.

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verb (used with object)

1. to drain (land or a mine) by building drainage ditches or the like.

sough ¹ British  

/ saʊ /

verb

1. (intr) (esp of the wind) to make a characteristic sighing sound

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noun

1. a soft continuous murmuring sound

sough ² British  

/ sʌf /

noun

1. dialect a sewer or drain or an outlet channel

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Other Word Forms

• soughfully adverb
• soughless adjective

Etymology

Origin of sough¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb swoughen “to throw,” Old English swōgan “to move with sound, make a noise”; cognate with Old Saxon swōgan, Old English swēgan “to move noisily,” Gothic -swōgjan; the noun is derivative of the verb

Origin of sough²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sough, sou(e); further origin obscure; compare Dutch dialect zoeg “little ditch”

Example Sentences

Jafari sough the person’s help to get work in the county and paid the person between $1,000 and $1,500 in cash, prosecutors said.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2023

Since the start of the pandemic, more street vendors have sough micro-loans and other assistance from his group, Espinoza said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2022

The administration could have sough a legal stay, said Brettny Hardy, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, and the Interior Department could also have offered a much smaller slice of the Gulf for lease.

From Washington Post • Nov. 22, 2021

In the suit, Wagoner sough a hefty chunk of Parton's income over the course of several years.

From Fox News • Jul. 30, 2021

The assembly looked with him, considered the vast stretches of water, the high sea beyond, unknown indigo of infinite possibility, heard silently the sough and whisper from the reef.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding