sough

1
[ sou, suhf ]
See synonyms for sough on Thesaurus.com
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.

noun
  1. a sighing, rustling, or murmuring sound.

  2. Scot. and North England.

    • a sigh or deep breath.

    • a whining, singsong manner of speaking.

    • a rumor; unconfirmed report.

Origin of sough

1
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

Other words from sough

  • sough·ful·ly, adverb
  • soughless, adjective

Words Nearby sough

Other definitions for sough (2 of 2)

sough2
[ suhf, sou ]

noun
  1. drain; drainage ditch, gutter, or sewer.

  2. a swampy or marshy area.

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

Origin of sough

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sough, sou(e); further origin obscure; compare Dutch dialect zoeg “little ditch”
  • Also especially Scot., sugh [sookh, soof, soo] /sux, suf, su/ .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sough in a sentence

  • A coil of smoke drifted across the room from somewhere above—the sough of the burning made the only background to his words.

    The Onslaught from Rigel | Fletcher Pratt
  • The rain had stopped, and a sudden sough of the wind in the bushes sounded as if some animal had strayed there.

    The Angel of Pain | E. F. Benson
  • Save the dull piping of insects and the sough of the leaves, there was silence everywhere—the sweet restful silence of nature.

    The White Company | Arthur Conan Doyle
  • With abatement of breath I listened, but heard nothing except the mournful sough of the pines.

  • An owl was hooting somewhere among the rocks, but no other sound, save the gentle sough of the wind, came to my ears.

    The Last Galley | Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for sough (1 of 2)

sough1

/ (saʊ) /


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

noun
  1. a soft continuous murmuring sound

Origin of sough

1
Old English swōgan to resound; related to Gothic gaswogjan to groan, Lithuanian svageti to sound, Latin vāgīre to lament

British Dictionary definitions for sough (2 of 2)

sough2

/ (sʌf) /


noun
  1. Northern English dialect a sewer or drain or an outlet channel

Origin of sough

2
of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012