sound

1 of 7

noun (1)

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
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 resourcesEconomist

intransitive verb

1
a
: to make a sound
b
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 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 adverb
soundness 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 peaceThomas 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.

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

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
End of carousel The supporting cast was also a bit uneven (partially due to the sound in the hall). Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 In 1926, Warners, with technology developed by Western Electric, introduced Vitaphone, a system of adding high fidelity synchronized sound to films using discs mechanically coupled to projectors. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2024 The Bose SoundLink Revolve portable Bluetooth speaker pumps out impressive sound and is now 27 percent off. Michael Stefanov, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2024 Its sound design is cacophonous, emphasizing every footstep, breath and gunshot to a disorienting degree, despite being rooted in the POV of characters whose hearing, and whose relationship to atmospheric sound, is ostensibly run-of-the-mill. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024 Dirac Live Room Correction and near-infinite connectivity allow users to fine-tune the sound from multiple sources. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024 Beginning with a guitar riff and a squealing sound akin to a dental drill, the drummers kick into the groove and everyone settles into a jagged riff. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 Kim explains the stimulus control mechanism as teaching yourself to respond to the external stimuli of various sounds. Kelsey Chapman, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 The Hike Queens Buddies and other community groups danced to the sound of the drums and enjoyed the traditional Thandai drink made with milk, almonds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, cardamom, saffron and rose. Mylene Stolpe, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024
Verb
Her delivery sounds both idiosyncratic and effortless, burrowing into turns of phrase and emphasizing unexpected syllables in ways at once subtle and utterly revelatory. Alex Swhear, Variety, 22 Mar. 2024 With that in mind, the new 45% number may sound low, but DeWitt said there could be a couple of factors at play. Jen Christensen, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 If that sounds familiar, then actor and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow might have a solution. Georgia Day, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024 The song begins with a jangly blues guitar lick before kicking into a doomy metal riff that sounds custom built for Osbourne’s voice. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024 Likewise, Lowe’s band sounded convincingly shaggy and unbuttoned, lending the impression of clambering behind the show’s procession like a second line. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 The second iteration of the ultra-popular earbuds sounds good but by no means stellar. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024 After spending much of the post-Aviary interval working with movies, including Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Holter’s filmic vision has never sounded more diffuse. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2024 This is classic early ’80s dance pop with Madonna heavy-breathing her way through an opening monologue that doesn’t sound at all like an invitation to dance and sing. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Amazon's Echo line of smart speakers have been steadily decreasing in size while maintaining sound quality and computing power, and the 5th generation Echo Dot hits a great balance between price and performance. K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024 Like, for example, sound director Koji Kondo’s idea for a Wonder Flower that would have turned Mario into a live-action version of himself—a regular guy who would hum the background music and make the game’s sound effects himself. Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 22 Mar. 2024 Local 700, whose members include picture and sound editors, is the second largest of the Locals that work under the agreement. Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 Its 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology uses a series of sound pulses to read your living room and create up to 12 phantom speakers. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024 The nine hours of listening time, top-notch sound quality, and comfortable earpiece make these headphones a winner for numerous shoppers. Melissa Epifano, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024 Across these strange and sometimes angular tracks, McMahon splices in sound bytes culled from YouTube, a Richard Pryor set, snippets of a J Dilla interview, and other sonic curios. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2024 Good support: Ergonomic: Gaming Headsets Both experts agreed in the modern era, sound quality is high across the board in the gaming headset market. Mason Leib, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 Dettmann said creating sound budgets is his bread and butter, along with explaining gritty budget details in a comprehensive way for others to digest. Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
Adverb
The garbage disposal features a generous 0.75 horsepower motor that is sound-insulated. Kaitlyn McInnis, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2023 Some examples include watches with alarms, visual timers, sound-blocking headphones, and calculators. Lisa Jo Rudy, Verywell Health, 7 Mar. 2023 There could be sound-absorbing qualities, too, which gave the ceilings their other name: acoustical ceilings. John Kelly, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2023 Porsche also outfitted lightweight glass and a slinkier battery, whittled out some of the sound-deadening material, and even deleted the rear seat. Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 23 Nov. 2022 Every practice and bus ride are sound-tracked by a JBL Bluetooth speaker and a steady stream of hits from Adele and Pitbull. BostonGlobe.com, 6 Nov. 2021 Qualifying property owners, who must have their buildings sound-tested, will each receive about $40,000 in upgrades. Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2021 Even more sound-deadening materials arrived for 2004, as did new stereo speakers to take advantage of the ostensibly quieter cabin. Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, 29 Apr. 2021 The local fire department said earlier that the main material burning was sound-absorbing cotton. Bloomberg.com, 25 Sep. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sound.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

13th 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)

1739, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sound was in the 13th century

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Dictionary Entries Near sound

Cite this Entry

“Sound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sound. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sound

1 of 6 adjective
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 adverb
soundness 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
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 contractO. W. Holmes, Jr.

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