having an acid taste, resembling that of vinegar, lemon juice, etc.; tart.
rendered acid or affected by fermentation; fermented.
producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, salt, or sweet.
characteristic of something fermented.
a sour smell.
distasteful or disagreeable; unpleasant.
below standard; poor.
It was a sour effort all around, the kind of effort that doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
harsh in spirit or temper; acrimonious; disagreeable; peevish.
Agriculture. (of soil) having excessive acidity.
(of gasoline or the like) contaminated by sulfur compounds.
Music. off-pitch; badly produced.
a sour note.
something that is sour.
any of various cocktails consisting typically of whiskey or gin with lemon or lime juice and sugar and sometimes soda water, often garnished with a slice of orange, a maraschino cherry, or both.
any of various beers with a particularly acidic or tart taste, made so by acid-producing bacteria and yeast in the brew.
Sours are a good choice to go with deep-fried bar food.
an acid or an acidic substance used in laundering and bleaching to neutralize alkalis and to decompose residual soap or bleach.
to become sour, rancid, mildewed, etc.; spoil.
Milk sours quickly in warm weather. The laundry soured before it was ironed.
to become unpleasant or strained; worsen; deteriorate.
Relations between the two countries have soured.
to become bitter, disillusioned, or disinterested.
I guess I soured when I learned he was married.
My loyalty soured after his last book.
Agriculture. (of soil) to develop excessive acidity.
to make sour; cause sourness in.
What do they use to sour the mash?
to cause spoilage in; rot.
Defective cartons soured the apples.
to make bitter, disillusioned, or disagreeable.
One misadventure needn't have soured him. That swindle soured a great many potential investors.
having or denoting a sharp biting taste like that of lemon juice or vinegar Compare bitter
made acid or bad, as in the case of milk or alcohol, by the action of microorganisms
having a rancid or unwholesome smell
(of a person's temperament) sullen, morose, or disagreeable
(esp of the weather or climate) harsh and unpleasant
disagreeable; distasteful
a sour experience
(of land, etc) lacking in fertility, esp due to excessive acidity
(of oil, gas, or petrol) containing a relatively large amount of sulphur compounds
to become unfavourable or inharmonious
his marriage went sour
something sour
any of several iced drinks usually made with spirits, lemon juice, and ice
a whiskey sour
an acid used in laundering and bleaching clothes or in curing animal skins
First recorded before 1000; Middle English adjective and noun sure, soure, Old English adjective sūr; cognate with German sauer, Dutch zuur, Old Norse sūrr
If something is sour, it has a tangy or sharp flavor, like a lemon. Your brother may love the taste of limes, while they're way too sour for you. Sometimes this adjective is used to describe a fermented odor (the way milk smells when it goes bad), or a wrong note in music, or even a terrible mood: "Mom was acting so sour that I didn't even ask her if we could have pizza for dinner." Sour comes from the Old English sur, "sour, tart, or fermented."
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Serve topped with avocado, sour cream and more corn chips for crunch.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
As the Iran war began driving gas prices higher in March, Walmart executives told UBS analysts that consumers’ attitudes start to sour when gas prices hit $3.50 to $4 a gallon.
From MarketWatch • May 17, 2026
While being unable to catch City may leave a sour note for the Gunners, their league performance this season was better than last year as they picked up three more points across the campaign.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Here’s hoping “Supergirl’s” tone is more sour than sweet.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
He leaned over and stuck the tip of his long pink tongue into the sour mash and then looked at me.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
