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• south
  south

  noun

  a cardinal point of the compass lying directly opposite north. S
• South
  South

  noun

  the southern part of England, generally regarded as lying to the south of an imaginary line between the Wash and the Severn

south

American  

[sauth, sauth, sauth] / saʊθ, saʊθ, saʊð /

noun

1. a cardinal point of the compass lying directly opposite north. S

2. the direction in which this point lies.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a region or territory situated in this direction.

4. the South, the general area south of Pennsylvania and the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi, consisting mainly of those states that formed the Confederacy.

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adjective

1. lying toward or situated in the south; directed or proceeding toward the south.

2. coming from the south, as a wind.

adverb

1. to, toward, or in the south.

2. Informal. into a state of serious decline, loss, or the like.

   Sales went south during the recession.

verb (used without object)

1. to turn or move in a southerly direction.

2. Astronomy. to cross the meridian.

South ¹ British  

/ saʊθ /

noun

1. the southern part of England, generally regarded as lying to the south of an imaginary line between the Wash and the Severn

2. 1. the area approximately south of Pennsylvania and the Ohio River, esp those states south of the Mason-Dixon line that formed the Confederacy during the Civil War

   2. the Confederacy itself

3. the countries of the world that are not economically and technically advanced

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adjective

1. 1. of or denoting the southern part of a specified country, area, etc

   2. ( capital as part of a name )

      the South Pacific

south ² British  

/ saʊθ /

noun

1. one of the four cardinal points of the compass, at 180° from north and 90° clockwise from east and anticlockwise from west

2. the direction along a meridian towards the South Pole

3. (often capital) any area lying in or towards the south

4. (usually capital) cards the player or position at the table corresponding to south on the compass

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adjective

1. situated in, moving towards, or facing the south

2. (esp of the wind) from the south

adverb

1. in, to, or towards the south

2. archaic (of the wind) from the south

south Idioms  

1. see go south.

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Etymology

Origin of south

before 900; Middle English suth ( e ), south ( e ) (adv., adj., and noun), Old English sūth (adv. and adj.); cognate with Old High German sund-

Explanation

If you're holding a compass, south is the direction that's directly opposite north. If you're standing in Tennessee, then Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia will be to the south. When you need to head south on a hiking trail, you can consult your compass and turn in the direction that's 180 degrees from north. And if you visit the South of France, you'll be staying in the southern part of the country geographically—luckily for you, it's also the warmest, sunniest part of France. The word south has a Germanic root meaning "sun-side."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

south South

In 1854, one “nugget” found on Carson Hill, about 100 miles south of Coloma along the Mother Lode mineral belt, weighed 195 pounds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Or John Prine just because he was from Illinois and not from further south.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Elsewhere there will be some scattered showers but many places in the south should see some lengthy dry spells with sunshine, and temperatures average for October.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The quake triggered a tsunami warning for Panama and warnings of smaller but dangerous waves along the coasts of other countries in Latin America and the south Pacific.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Churchill was a tiny town in northeast Canada, a thousand kilometers south of the Arctic Circle on the western side of Hudson Bay.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

The announcement comes on the day that Navi Pillay, a South African former ICC judge, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

But its strangeness also seems appropriate, considering the epic oddity of the South African’s ascension from mistrusted Silicon Valley wannabe to ever-confident cheerleader for space dreams and electric vehicles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said she had been a "pioneering defence attorney for anti-apartheid activists" who had worked to "uphold human dignity and bring hope in South Africa and to peoples globally".

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

But the South Korean government said this week it was "highly likely" Artex had been used in data breaches at more than seven financial institutions, including major banks.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

He is sympathetic to the slaveholding South and opposes any limit on slavery.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

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