soup

[soop]

noun

1. a liquid food made by boiling or simmering meat, fish, or vegetables with various added ingredients.

   Synonyms: potage, stock, broth

2. Slang.,  a thick fog.

3. Slang.,  added power, especially horsepower.

4. Slang.,  nitroglycerin.

5. Photography Slang.,  developing solution.

verb phrase

1. soup up

   1. to improve the capacity for speed or increase the efficiency of (a motor or engine) by increasing the richness of the fuel mixture or the efficiency of the fuel, or by adjusting the engine.

   2. to give spirit or vivacity to; enliven.

      a political rally souped up by the appearance of the candidates.

soup

/ suːp /

noun

1. a liquid food made by boiling or simmering meat, fish, vegetables, etc, usually served hot at the beginning of a meal

2. informal,  a photographic developer

3. informal,  anything resembling soup in appearance or consistency, esp thick fog See also peasouper

4. a slang name for nitroglycerine

5. informal,  in trouble or difficulties

Other Word Forms

• soupless adjective
• souplike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of soup¹

1645–55; 1940–45 soup for def. 6; < French soupe, Old French souppe, sope < Germanic; compare Dutch sopen to dunk. See sop

Word History and Origins

Origin of soup¹

C17: from Old French soupe, from Late Latin suppa, of Germanic origin; compare Middle High German suppe, Old Norse soppa soup

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the soup, in trouble.

   He'll be in the soup when the truth comes out.

2. from soup to nuts,

   1. from the first through the last course of a meal.

   2. from beginning to end; to a complete, encompassing degree; leaving nothing out.

More idioms and phrases containing soup

• duck soup
• from soup to nuts
• in the soup
• thick as thieves (pea soup)

Example Sentences

Every September, a festival here known as “Carpathians on the Fork,” features a hot-tub-size pot of soup that simmers overnight; locals queue up the next day for bowls in the city square.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Campbell’s soup has been a staple of American childhood, sick days and holiday casserole recipes for decades.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Food giant Campbell's has dismissed as "absurd" claims allegedly made by a senior executive, who has since been placed on leave, that its soups are made with "3D-printed" chicken and consumed by "poor people."

Read more on Barron's

The packaged food company, known for its chicken noodle soup, also owns brands that include Goldfish snack and Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels.

Read more on Barron's

Or added to chicken stock to make an earthy autumnal soup.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• circumstance 
• crisis 
• deadlock 
• dilemma 
• hardship 
• imbroglio 
• impasse 
• mess 
• plight 
• posture 
• quagmire 
• quandary