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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  

[south, south, south] / 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

He was met there by Beck’s manager, Ralph Baker, and the two set off for Riverhall, the rock star’s estate south of the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Forecasters warned that those seeking to escape the heat with a trip to the beach should take care, as a large south swell from Hurricane Genevieve will continue to result in big waves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

He will be laid to rest at Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens in the south of Barbados.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Fires in Turkey have already forced the evacuation of hundreds of people around tourist beaches in the south, with hundreds of firefighters tackling the flames.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

“Go north to the firebreak and start walking back south from there. I’m going to start out by the lake and come east. We’ll meet back here and see what we’ve got.”

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

One issue for the chip sector has been an excessive use of leverage among South Korean investors who perhaps got too excited about the country’s major presence in the memory market.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

Uefa's unease has been echoed by the Asian, South American and North and Central American Confederations.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

South Korean chip stocks led declines, with the Kospi falling 1.2%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

So far this week, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued four notices of violations to the company related to the putrid odor at the cleanup site.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Being caught might mean at best a return to bondage, or worse, being sold deeper South or to the West Indies, if Washington decided she was too much trouble.

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

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