SOS

¹

1. the letters represented by the radio telegraphic signal ( – – – ) used, especially by ships in distress, as an internationally recognized call for help.

noun

1. any call for help.

   We sent out an SOS for more typists.

verb (used without object)

1. to send an SOS.

SOS

²

abbreviation

Slang.

1. shit on a shingle (a euphemistic initialism used to avoid explicit vulgarity).

s.o.s.

³

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) if necessary.

SOS

noun

1. an internationally recognized distress signal in which the letters SOS are repeatedly spelt out, as by radio-telegraphy: used esp by ships and aircraft

2. a message broadcast in an emergency for people otherwise unobtainable

3. informal,  a call for help

Word History and Origins

Origin of SOS¹

First recorded in 1905–10; from the Morse code alphabet, in which three dots (or short clicks) represents the letter S and three dashes (or long clicks) represents the letter O

Origin of SOS²

From Latin sī opus sit

Word History and Origins

Origin of SOS¹

C20: letters chosen as the simplest to transmit and receive in Morse code; by folk etymology taken to be an abbreviation for save our souls

Example Sentences

A man missing for more than a week in the vast wilderness of Canada's province of British Columbia has been found after etching the word "help" on a rock and drawing "SOS" in the mud.

From BBC

In one case highlighted by BBC Wales' SOS Extreme Rescues, a young couple used TikTok videos to research a trip to part of a north Wales world heritage site.

From BBC

After performing three of her own separate sets, which included songs from albums Ctrl, SOS and its recently updated deluxe version, SZA appeared once more to end the show with Lamar.

From BBC

Indeed, she was unavailable for a previously scheduled interview because she had to respond to an SOS call about an ICE sighting in a Cincinnati neighborhood.

From Salon

BBC Wales' TV series SOS: Extreme Rescues has been following mountain rescue teams over the last year.

From BBC

Related Words

• admonition 
• advice 
• alarm 
• alert 
• caution 
• example 
• guidance 
• hint 
• indication 
• information 
• lesson 
• notification 
• prediction 
• recommendation 
• sign 
• signal 
• suggestion 
• threat 
• word 

When To Use

What does SOS mean?

The letter sequence SOS (pronounced S-O-S) is used in Morse code as a distress signal—a way to call for help during an emergency, such as on a ship.Morse code uses clicks and pauses, short and long sounds, or flashes of light to represent letters and numbers. S is represented by three short clicks or brief flashes of light, and O is represented by three long sounds or longer flashes of light (depicted with dashes).Morse code can be written out using dots to represent short clicks and dashes to represent long ones, resulting in a specific sequence for SOS (··· – – – ···) that was chosen since it would be easy to communicate with sounds over radio or with flashes of light.The signal became well-known enough that SOS came to be used as an informal term for any call for help or notification that there is an emergency, as in Send an SOS to the board letting them know that we’ll have to schedule an emergency meeting. When used this way, each letter is still pronounced individually (S-O-S). The plural of SOS can be written as SOSs or SOS’s. SOS can also be used as a verb meaning to send such an SOS.Example: I have my phone set up to automatically send an SOS to certain contacts if I ever dial 9-1-1.