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Synonyms

sound out

British  

verb

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

"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
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.

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.

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

Celtic might well make a call to sound out Postecoglou, but O'Neill will serve as a balm for the moment.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 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

She is expected to travel to Cyprus soon to sound out Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, Ersin Tatar.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 5, 2024

“No. The reading. What does he do? I mean, do you just sound out words and stuff?”

From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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.