Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

sou

1 American  
[soo] / su /

noun

  1. (formerly) either of two bronze coins of France, equal to 5 centimes and 10 centimes.

  2. sol.

sou. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. south.

  2. southern.

sou British  
/ suː /

noun

  1. a former French coin of low denomination

  2. a very small amount of money

    I haven't a sou to my name
"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

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.

“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

Once she stranded herself in Paris by spending every sou she had with her on a Rouault and a Segonzac.

From Time Magazine Archive

In France, the huge sums required to finance the foreign policy were being extorted sou by sou.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Wouldn’t take a sou less, so help me.”

From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London

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.