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sounder

1 American  
[saun-der] / ˈsaʊn dər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that makes a sound or noise, or sounds something.

  2. Telegraphy. an instrument for receiving telegraphic impulses that emits the sounds from which the message is read.


sounder 2 American  
[saun-der] / ˈsaʊn dər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that sounds depth, as of water.


sounder 1 British  
/ ˈsaʊndə /

noun

  1. an electromagnetic device formerly used in telegraphy to convert electric signals sent over wires into audible sounds

"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

sounder 2 British  
/ ˈsaʊndə /

noun

  1. a person or device that measures the depth of water, 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

Etymology

Origin of sounder1

First recorded in 1585–95; sound 1 + -er 1

Origin of sounder2

First recorded in 1565–75; sound 3 + -er 1


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:

Now, the eurozone economy is on a sounder footing and inflation has been around the ECB's target for some time, she stressed.

From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026

Such tariffs may or may not be wise policy, but they would be on a sounder legal footing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025

A productive clay-court swing, taking her to the Madrid and Rome finals, meant she arrived in Paris considered a sounder bet than defending champion Swiatek.

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2025

“Democracies are sounder when the reason why some lose does not rest on the fact that they are invisible to those who make decisions,” Verba wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2025

It was a beautiful, smooth gait, and probably a sounder one.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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