sou
noun
(formerly) either of two bronze coins of France, equal to 5 centimes and 10 centimes.
sou
1 American
[soo]
/ su /
noun
-
sous
plural
-
(formerly) either of two bronze coins of France, equal to 5 centimes and 10 centimes.
-
sol.
sou.
2
American
abbreviation
-
south.
-
southern.
sou
British
/ suː /
noun
-
a former French coin of low denomination
-
a very small amount of money
I haven't a sou to my name
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sou
1810–20; < French; Old French sol sol 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Eu não sou médica,” she told me in Portuguese, our shared language.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2021
But his estate was wiped out in the Great Depression, and as a result, I had what I consider the ideal upbringing: We were a proud family, good citizens, and we didn't have a sou.
From Inc ● Sep. 25, 2012
One cartoon portrayed King Louis Philippe as Gargantua gobbling up every last sou in France.
From Time Magazine Archive
He was rushed to a hospital where he signed a statement swearing that he had never accepted a single sou from handsome Alex.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Wouldn’t take a sou less, so help me.”
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
Klapper described the AI tool as a co-intelligence, akin to a “judicial sous chef,” that will support members of the bench without supplanting them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
But now the restaurant is "scrambling to do something to stay afloat" and figure out "what can be done without a gas connection", sous chef Dhruv Thapliyal told AFP.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
The pet-food company Evermore is extolling the benefits of sous vide–cooked turkey, lamb, chicken and beef; the founders are so passionate about these “human grade” recipes that they personally subsisted on them for 31 days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
The centenarian enjoyed her birthday surrounded by friends and family at the home, with a special cake prepared by the sous chef, Kieran Lister.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
I was pretty much my mom’s sous chef growing up, which is just a fancy way of saying I was her kitchen assistant.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
