sound

1 of 7

noun (1)

ˈsau̇nd 

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

a

: a speech sound

a peculiar r-sound

b

: value in terms of speech sounds

-cher of teacher and -ture of creature have the same sound

3

a

: meaningless noise

b

: the impression conveyed : import

c

obsolete : meaning

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

the Nashville sound

7

archaic : rumor, fame

sound

2 of 7

verb (1)

sounded; sounding; sounds

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to sound

sound a trumpet

b

: pronounce sense 3a

2

: to put into words : voice

3

a

: to make known : proclaim

b

: to order, signal, or indicate by a sound

sound the alarm

4

: to examine by causing to emit sounds

sound the lungs

5

chiefly British : to convey the impression of : sound like

that sounds a logical use of resources

—Economist

intransitive verb

1

a

: to make a sound

b

: resound

c

: to give a summons by sound

the bugle sounds to battle

2

: to make or convey an impression especially when heard

it sounds good to me

you sound just like your mother

soundable

ˈsau̇n-də-bəl 

adjective

sound

3 of 7

adjective

1

a

: free from injury or disease

of sound mind

b

: free from flaw, defect, or decay

sound timber

2

a

: solid, firm

sound construction

b

: stable

a sound economy

also : secure, reliable

sound investments

3

a

: free from error, fallacy, or misapprehension

sound advice

sound reasoning

b

: exhibiting or based on thorough knowledge and experience

sound scholarship

c

: legally valid

a sound title

d

: logically valid and having true premises

a sound estimate

e

: agreeing with accepted views : orthodox

sound doctrine

4

a

: thorough

a sound recovery

b

: deep and undisturbed

a sound sleep

c

: hard, severe

a sound whipping

5

: showing good judgment or sense

a sound advisor

soundly

ˈsau̇n(d)-lē 

adverb

soundness

ˈsau̇n(d)-nəs 

noun

sound

4 of 7

adverb

: to the full extent : thoroughly

sound asleep

sound

5 of 7

noun (2)

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

sound

6 of 7

verb (2)

sounded; sounding; sounds

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

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

sound

7 of 7

noun (3)

: 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

Noun (1)

• earshot
• hail
• hearing

Verb (1)

• echo
• reecho
• resonate
• resound
• reverberate

Adjective

• analytic
• analytical
• coherent
• consequent
• good
• logical
• rational
• reasonable
• sensible
• valid
• well-founded
• well-grounded

Noun (2)

• channel
• narrows
• neck
• strait

Verb (2)

• fathom
• plumb

Choose the Right Synonym for sound

healthy, sound, wholesome, robust, hale, well mean enjoying or indicative of good health.

healthy implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease.

a healthy family

sound emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction.

a sound heart

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

a valid marriage

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

Noun

On the flip side of things (quite literally), the Netherworld occupied by the recently, and not-so-recently, deceased needed to come off as eerie and a place where earthly rules of sound no longer apply. —Josh Weiss, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Without a kid in tow, trick-or-treating would be creepy, and as delicious as bags of Snickers, M&Ms and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups sound, the gastrointestinal (and orthodontic) aftermath just isn’t as appetizing at this stage. —Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 31 Oct. 2024

Verb

IndyStar will be following all the fun, bringing you sights and sounds from downtown Indianapolis as the final U.S. shows of the Eras Tour kick off. —Holly V. Hays, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Nov. 2024

Liz Cheney is sounding the alarm over Donald Trump. —Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024

Adjective

The walls are lined with 50 millimeter fiberglass insulation cotton, providing great thermal and sound insulation. —Toni Sutton, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024

Here’s how to harness future AGI for effective and ethically sound marketing. —Jason Snyder, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Adverb

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

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

Phrases Containing sound

• (as) sound as a bell
• break the sound barrier
• not like the sound of (something)
• of sound mind
• raise/sound the alarm
• sound and fury
• sound-and-light show
• sound bar
• sound barrier
• sound bite
• sound board
• sound bow
• sound box
• sound card
• sound check
• sound effects
• sound hole
• sound like
• sound off
• sound out
• sound pressure
• sound/ring/toll the death knell
• sound/signal the retreat
• sound sleeper
• sound system
• sound track
• sound truck
• sound wave
• surround sound
• the sound barrier

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Kids Definition

sound

1 of 6 adjective

ˈsau̇nd 

1

a

: not diseased or weak : healthy

a sound mind in a sound body

b

: free from imperfection or rot

2

: solid entry 1 sense 4, firm

a building of sound construction

3

: not faulty : valid, right

a sound argument

4

a

: thorough sense 1

a sound revenge

b

: not disturbed

a sound sleep

c

: severe sense 3

a sound beating

5

: showing good judgment or sense

sound advice

soundly

ˈsau̇n-(d)lē 

adverb

soundness

ˈsau̇n(d)-nəs 

noun

sound

2 of 6 adverb

: to the full extent : thoroughly

sound asleep

sound

3 of 6 noun

1

a

: the sensation of hearing

b

: a particular impression obtained by hearing : noise, tone

c

: the energy of vibration that causes the sensation of hearing

2

a

: one of the noises that together make up human speech

the sound of "th" in "this"

b

: a series of spoken noises

3

a

: meaningless noise

b

: the suggestion carried or given by something heard or said

the excuse has a suspicious sound

4

: hearing distance : earshot

within sound of my voice

sound

4 of 6 verb

1

a

: to make or cause to make a sound

b

: resound

the auditorium sounded with applause

c

: resound sense 2

cheers are sounding throughout the gymnasium

d

: to give a signal by sound

the bugle sounds to battle

2

: pronounce sense 3a

sound each word clearly

3

: to put into words : voice

4

a

: to make known : proclaim

b

: to order, signal, or indicate by a sound

sound the alarm

5

: to make or give an impression especially when heard

sounds incredible

sound

5 of 6 noun

: a long passage of water that is wider than a strait and often connects two larger bodies of water or forms a channel between the mainland and an island

sound

6 of 6 verb

1

a

: to measure the depth of (as with a sounding line) : fathom

b

: to look into or investigate the possibility

2

: to try to find out the views or intentions of : probe

sounded me out on the idea

3

: to dive down suddenly

a sounding whale

Etymology

Adjective

Old English gesund "free from injury or disease"

Noun

Middle English soun "a sound, something that can be heard," from early French son (same meaning), from Latin sonus "a sound" — related to unison

Noun

Old English sund "a sea, swimming"

Verb

Middle English sounden "to measure the depth of," from early French sonder (same meaning), from sonde "a line used for measuring depths"; probably of Germanic origin

Medical Definition

sound

1 of 4 adjective

ˈsau̇nd 

1

: free from injury or disease : exhibiting normal health

2

: deep and undisturbed

a sound sleep

soundness noun

sound

2 of 4 noun

1

: a particular auditory impression

heart sounds heard by auscultation

2

: the sensation perceived by the sense of hearing

3

: mechanical radiant energy that is transmitted by longitudinal pressure waves in a material medium (as air) and is the objective cause of hearing

sound

3 of 4 transitive verb

: to explore or examine (a body cavity) with a sound

sound

4 of 4 noun

: an elongated instrument for exploring or examining body cavities

a uterine sound

Legal Definition

sound

1 of 2 adjective

1

a

: free from injury or disease : exhibiting normal health

b

: free from flaw, defect, or decay

a sound design

2

a

: free from error, fallacy, or misapprehension

based on sound judicial reasoning

b

: legally valid

a sound title

3

: showing good judgment or sense

soundly adverb

soundness noun

sound

2 of 2 intransitive verb

: to be based or founded : have a specified basis for an action

—used with in

those remedies for rent which sounded in contract

—O. W. Holmes, Jr.