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Synonyms

soup

American  
[soop] / sup /

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.

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.

soup British  
/ 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

"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
soup More Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing soup

Other Word Forms

  • soupless adjective
  • souplike adjective

Etymology

Origin of soup

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

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.

I ladled some onion soup into a bowl and sipped.

From Literature

The slide presentation Monday featured at least one use of new tech: an AI-generated image of alphabet soup, created by the firm’s treasurer, showing the many acronyms to describe complex liquidity regulations.

From Barron's

He grew up drinking hot water and boiling fruit for soups to combat colds.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I usually make way more than I need, so then I’ll turn it into a soup afterwards. They’re pretty forgiving in a soup.”

From Salon

French onion soup can make for an easy, cozy dinner party.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.