Definition of SOUND
- ️Thu Feb 13 2025
1
a
: a particular auditory impression : tone
b
: the sensation perceived by the sense of hearing
c
: mechanical radiant energy that is transmitted by longitudinal pressure waves in a material medium (such as air) and is the objective cause of hearing
2
b
: value in terms of speech sounds
-cher of teacher and -ture of creature have the same sound
3
b
: the impression conveyed : import
4
: hearing distance : earshot
within sound of your voice
5
: recorded auditory material
6
: a particular musical style characteristic of an individual, a group, or an area
2
: to put into words : voice
3
b
: to order, signal, or indicate by a sound
4
: to examine by causing to emit sounds
5
chiefly British
: to convey the impression of : sound like
that sounds a logical use of resources—
Economist
1
c
: to give a summons by sound
the bugle sounds to battle
2
: to make or convey an impression especially when heard
you sound just like your mother
1
a
: free from injury or disease
b
: free from flaw, defect, or decay
3
a
: free from error, fallacy, or misapprehension
b
: exhibiting or based on thorough knowledge and experience
d
: logically valid and having true premises
e
: agreeing with accepted views : orthodox
5
: showing good judgment or sense
1
a
: a long broad inlet of the ocean generally parallel to the coast
b
: a long passage of water connecting two larger bodies (such as a sea with the ocean) or separating a mainland and an island
2
: the air bladder of a fish
1
: to measure the depth of : fathom
2
: to try to find out the views or intentions of : probe —often used with out
3
: to explore or examine (a body cavity) with a sound
1
a
: to ascertain the depth of water especially with a sounding line
b
: to look into or investigate the possibility
sent commissioners … to sound for peace—Thomas Jefferson
2
: to dive down suddenly —used of a fish or whale
: an elongated instrument for exploring or sounding body cavities
Did you know?
English contains several sound homographs, all with distinct histories. For example, the sound that means "something heard" descends from Latin sonus ("sound"), whereas the sound that means "to measure the depth of water" traces to Middle French sonde ("sounding line"). Another sound, as in "of sound mind and body," is the contemporary form of Old English's gesund. Gesund is related to several words in other languages, such as Old Saxon gisund ("sound"), Old Frisian sund ("fresh, unharmed, healthy"), and Gothic swinths ("sound" or "healthy"). Another relative is Old High German's gisunt ("healthy"), which led to modern German's gesund, the root of gesundheit.
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for sound
sound emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction.
wholesome implies appearance and behavior indicating soundness and balance.
a face with a wholesome glow
robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly.
a lively, robust little boy
hale applies particularly to robustness in old age.
still hale at the age of eighty
well implies merely freedom from disease or illness.
she has never been a well person
valid, sound, cogent, convincing, telling mean having such force as to compel serious attention and usually acceptance.
valid implies being supported by objective truth or generally accepted authority.
a valid reason for being absent
sound implies a basis of flawless reasoning or of solid grounds.
a sound proposal for reviving the economy
cogent may stress either weight of sound argument and evidence or lucidity of presentation.
the prosecutor's cogent summation won over the jury
convincing suggests a power to overcome doubt, opposition, or reluctance to accept.
a convincing argument for welfare reform
telling stresses an immediate and crucial effect striking at the heart of a matter.
a telling example of bureaucratic waste
Examples of sound in a Sentence
Noun (1)
wandered off, out of her parents' sight and sound Verb (1)
the stranded hiker's cries for help sounded throughout the canyon the idea at least sounds plausible a person who certainly isn't shy about sounding her opinions the grand opening of the region's newest and largest mall has been loudly sounded for months Adjective
a building of sound construction The bridge is structurally sound. a sound mind in a sound body The tests show that his heart is sound. She used sound reasoning in making the decision. She gave us some sound advice. She has a sound understanding of the system's structure. The stock market has made a sound recovery. Noun (2)
Long Island Sound is between Connecticut and Long Island, New York Verb (2)
the pilot sounded the river to make sure we weren't in any danger of running aground a whale suddenly surfaced and then, just as suddenly, sounded
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Artists like Jennifer Lopez, Eve, Alicia Keys, and Aaliyah also benefitted from the Murder Inc. sound.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
Created in a low-key environment with only producer Danny L Harle (Dua Lipa, Caroline Polachek, Charlie XCX) as collaborator, the album leans heavily into the dancey synth-pop sounds of the ’80s.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 10 Feb. 2025
The need to capture not only each singer and instrument but all of the crowd noise meant Maitland often had 40 tracks recording at once, all of them using microphones that were period correct to replicate how the performances would have sounded in the early 1960s.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
The Yankees believe the newbies can make for a team that’s more well-rounded, athletic and fundamentally sound after poor baserunning and ugly defense hurt the 2024 version of the Bombers, particularly in Game 5 of the World Series.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
Those with sound discernment are minding the complication in drawing sweeping conclusions about powerful men like Gotti.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
Having said that, just like last year with Usher and Alicia Keys, Lamar was plagued by sound issues that left his vocals buried under the music.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2025
The trade-offs sound minor—chiefly AMD FreeSync Premium Pro instead of Nvidia’s G-Sync Ultimate and a lower 165-Hz refresh rate.
—Simon Hill, WIRED, 28 Oct. 2022
His feats of strength while at the University of Oklahoma almost sound mythological.
—Jeff Fedotin, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sound 
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English soun, from Anglo-French son, sun, from Latin sonus, from sonare to sound; akin to Old English swinn melody, Sanskrit svanati it sounds
Adjective
Middle English, from Old English gesund; akin to Old High German gisunt healthy
Noun (2)
Middle English, from Old English sund swimming, sea & Old Norse sund swimming, strait; akin to Old English swimman to swim
Verb (2)
Middle English, from Middle French sonder, from Old French *sonde sounding line, probably from Old English or Middle English sund- (as in Old English sundlīne sounding line) from sund sea
Noun (3)
French sonde, from Middle French, literally, sounding line
First Known Use
Noun (1)
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb (1)
13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Adjective
12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adverb
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb (2)
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun (3)
1797, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of sound was in the 12th century
Dictionary Entries Near sound
Cite this Entry
“Sound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sound. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 13 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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