sound
1330
sound² v 1 [L] to seem when heard: Your cough sounds
better. | Does this sentence sound right? | He had a very
odd-sounding name. | From the way you describe him he
sounds a real idiot. | It sounds as if/as though the govern-
ment doesn't know what to do. | That sounds like (=seems) a
good idea! | [+to-v] (nonstandard) She sounds to be a very
strange woman. 2 [I] to make a sound; produce an effect
that can be heard: The bell sounded for dinner at eight
o'clock. | The trumpets sounded as the champion
entered. 3 [T] to cause (especially a musical instrument) to
make a sound: A bell is sounded at eight o'clock. | Sound your
horn to warn the other driver. 4 [T] to signal by making
sounds: They sounded the 'all clear' after the air raid. | Sound
the alarm! 5 [T usually pass.] tech to express as a sound;
pronounce: The 's' in 'island' is not sounded: it's silent. 6 [T]
tech to measure the depth of (a body of water), especially by
using a line with a weight on it (sounding line) or a machine
(echo sounder) that sends out sounds which come back off
the bottom -> see also SOUNDINGS
sound off phr v [(about)] 1 infml, usually derog to express an
opinion freely and forcefully, especially in a complaining
manner: He's always sounding off about the poor pay of
teachers in this country. 2 AmE to call out (usually one's
name or number in an order) loudly
sound sbdy. <=> out phr v [T(on, about)] to try to find out the
opinion or intention of: I wrote to him to sound out his views
on the new project. -> see also SOUNDINGS
sound³ adj 1 in good condition; without disease or damage:
The surveyor reported that all the walls were completely
sound. | (law) The doctor certified that she was of sound
mind (=not mad). -> opposite UNSOUND 2 showing good
sense or good judgment: That's very sound advice; you
should take it. | She's a very sound woman to have on the
committee. | politically sound | a man of sound judgment | a
sound investment that is sure to bring good profits -> opposite
UNSOUND 3 thorough; complete: to give employees a sound
training 4 [A] severe; hard: a sound beating 5 (of sleep)
deep and untroubled 6 as sound as a bell a) (of a person)
without disease b) (of a thing) in perfect condition --->ly
adv: She slept soundly throughout the night. | We were soundly
(=severely and completely) beaten by our opponents. --->ness
n [U]
sound⁴ adv sound asleep deeply asleep
sound⁵ n 1 a fairly broad stretch of sea water mostly
surrounded by coast 2 a water passage connecting two larger
bodies of water and wider than a STRAIT
'sound ,barrier n [the S] the sudden increase in the force
opposing an object in flight as it gets near the speed of
sound: A jet plane was the first to break the sound barrier.
(=go faster than sound)
'sound bite n a short part of a speech or a statement,
especially one made by a politician, which is broadcast on
radio or television, e.g. as part of a news programme. A
sound bite is often only one sentence long.
sound-card, sound card /'saundkɑ:dll-kɑ:rd/ n a CIRCUIT
BOARD that can be added to a computer so that it is able to
produce sound
'sound check n the process of checking that all the equip-
ment such as MICROPHONES, SPEAKERS etc is working well
before a concert, and that the sound produced is of the
desired quality
'sound ef,facts n [P] sounds produced by people or
machines to give the effect of natural sounds needed in a
radio or television broadcast or a film, for example, putting
COCONUT shells down repeatedly on a hard surface to give
the sound of a horse's hooves (HOOF)
'sounding ,board n 1 a board fixed over and behind a stage
PULPIT etc, to allow a speaker or performer to be heard more
loudly and clearly 2 [(for)] a means used for testing
thoughts, opinions etc: As the professor's assistant, my func-
tion was often simply to be a sounding board for his latest
ideas.
sound-ings /'saundinz/ n [P] 1 measurements made by
sounding (SOUND) water 2 carefully quiet or secret enquir-
ies: I've asked her to take soundings to find out if Sir John
would be willing to accept the chairmanship.
,Sound of 'Music, The (1965) a very popular US MUSICAL
(=a film that uses singing and dancing to tell a story) in
which Julie ANDREWS appears as a NUN who goes to live in
the mountains to take care of a large family of children
whose mother has died. She teaches them to sing, has a
romantic relationship with their father, and helps them to
escape from the Nazis. Many of the songs in the film are
very well known, including 'Climb Every Mountain' and the
song of the title, which begins 'The hills are alive with the
sound of music'.
sound-proof¹ /'saundpru:f/ adj that sound cannot get
through or into: soundproof walls | a soundproof room
soundproof² v [T] to make soundproof
sound-track /saundtræk/ n 1 the recorded music from a
film 2 the band near the edge of a piece of film where
sound is recorded
'sound wave n the form which sound takes when it travels
soup¹ /su:p/ n [C;U]. 1 (any of many kinds of) liquid cooked
food often containing small pieces of meat, fish, or vegeta-
bles: tomato soup | a bowl of soup | a good selection of packet
soups 2 from soup to nuts AmE infml from beginning to end,
completely and in detail 3 in the soup infml in trouble
soup² v
soup sthg. <=> up phr v [T] 1 to increase the power of (an
engine) or the size of the engine of (a car), especially with a
SUPERCHARGER 2 infml often derog to make bigger, more excit-
ing, more attractive etc: His second book is just a souped-up
version of his first one.
soup-çon /'su:psɒnll-sa:n/ n [S(of)] Fr, fml or humor a little bit: It
just needs a soupçon more salt.
'soup ,kitchen n a place where people with no money and
often no homes can get free food. Soup kitchens are run by
organizations such as churches or charities (CHARITY) and
they provide tea and coffee and simple food (not necessarily
soup).
'soup spoon n a rounded spoon about the size of a DESSERT-
SPOON used for eating soup
soup-y /'su:pi/ adj having a thick liquid quality like soup
sour¹ /sauər/ adj 1 having the taste that is not bitter, salty, or
sweet, and is produced especially by acids: Lemons are sour. |
sour green apples -> compare BITTER, SWEET 2 having the
taste of fermentation (FERMENT) (=chemical action by bacte-
ria): This milk has gone sour, it has a sour taste 3 having or
expressing a bad temper; unfriendly; SULLEN: He gave me a
sour look. 4 [F] infml bad or wrong; disappointing: The
project turned sour/went sour on us when we found no oil
and our backers pulled out their money. --->ly adv --->ness n
[U]
sour² v [I;T] to (cause to) become sour: The milk has soured
overnight. | Various unhappy experiences have soured her
view of life.
sour³ n especially AmE a drink made with LEMON juice, sugar,
and the stated strong alcohol: a whiskey sour
source¹ /sɔ:sllsɔ:rs/ n [(of)] 1 a place from which something
comes; means of supply: We'll have to find a new source of
income. | I haven't been able to track down the source of the
rumour/to locate the source of the contamination. 2 a cause:
This faulty connection is the source of the engine trou-
ble. 3 the place where a stream of water starts: We followed
the river back to discover its source. -> compare SPRING 4 a
person or thing that supplies information: When writing an
academic article, always list your sources. | source material |
I've heard from a reliable source that the company is doing
very badly.
source² v [T] to find a SOURCE of: A team of eager, resourceful
buyers who monitored the fashion scene was dispatched to the
Far East to source cheap copies.
'source code n [U] tech a computer PROGRAM in a form
readable by a person who knows the language it is written in
-> compare MACHINE CODE
,sour 'cream also ,soured 'cream BrE — n [U] cream made
sour by adding a kind of bacteria, and used in various foods
sour-dough /'sauədɒll'sauər-/ n [U] uncooked bread mix-
ture (DOUGH) which is kept for a period of time and then used
in cooking bread, cakes etc to help them to rise
,sour 'grapes n [U] the fact of pretending to dislike what
one really desires, because it is unobtainable: Since losing the