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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

For the last three years, Ruth Mason has helped bereaved parents in south Wales to navigate their loss through a support group in Merthyr Tydfil.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

But traffickers don’t have to travel south to reach the Atlantic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Although Southern California got some rain Sunday and Monday, the most of it fell in areas south of Los Angeles County, Kittell said, leaving Los Angeles and Ventura counties very dry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

But over 600 miles south in Imperial County, a household would have to make $131,000 or less to qualify.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

They passed high above a beach and continued above the poison tide as it spread south through the ocean.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

El Nino has been associated with strong drought in Indonesia, where tracts of forest and plantations have been burning in biodiverse Borneo and South Sumatra for months.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Most of these finds were identified as belonging to known species named from neighboring South Africa.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

"The PTI rank and file has been becoming increasingly restless in recent months amid growing concerns about Imran Khan's health," says Michael Kugelman, senior South Asia fellow at the Atlantic Council.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

U.S. memory giant Micron Technology fell 3.6%, while the U.S.-listed shares of South Korean memory manufacturer SK Hynix dropped 3.2%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

“Does that boy have anything to do with your South American beetle illness?”

From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins

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