sound out

British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to question (someone) in order to discover (opinions, facts, etc)

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sound out Idioms  

1. Seek the views or intentions of, as in We'd better sound out Mom about who's using the station wagon, or Let's sound out the staff before we decide which week we should close for vacation. This expression derives from sound meaning “to measure the depth of water by lowering a line or lead.” It was transferred to other kinds of inquiry in the late 1500s, but out was not added for several centuries.

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Example Sentences

Several of her hits have vintage charm—they wouldn’t sound out of place in a honky-tonk in the 1980s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

He's poured a metaphorical can of Australian beer over the novel by converting Tolstoy's prose into a lingo that wouldn't sound out of place in the popular Aussie sitcom Kath & Kim.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025

In the Netherlands, the winning party leader appoints a "scout" to sound out the various parties and work out who is prepared to talk to whom.

From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025

She’ll be tested to see if she can sound out nonsense words like vot, pag and lem, and asked to read sight words like young, speak and known.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2024

We’re taught how to teach the students to write both print and cursive letters, how to sound out words from syllables, and how to create sentences by joining together verbs and nouns.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Related Words

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