sound
Other forms: sounds; sounded; sounding; soundest; soundingly
A sound is a noise, something you can hear if you're in the right spot and it's loud enough. A doorbell, a fire alarm, a cat's meow, or your brother's snoring — they’re all sounds.
Long Island Sound is another kind of sound — it’s a branch of the Atlantic Ocean that runs between Connecticut and Long Island, New York. When you don’t know a word, you might sound out the syllables — say them aloud — to figure out the pronunciation. Sound can also mean "solid or good." Sound advice is good advice. Sound investments are secure. When you have a sound sleep, it's restful and uninterrupted — at least until your alarm sounds.
Definitions of sound
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mechanical vibrations transmitted by an elastic medium“falling trees make a sound in the forest even when no one is there to hear them”types:ultrasoundvery high frequency sound; used in ultrasonographytype of:mechanical phenomenona physical phenomenon associated with the equilibrium or motion of objects
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the subjective sensation of hearing something“he strained to hear the faint sounds”synonyms: auditory sensationtypes:music(music) the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments (or reproductions of such sounds)dissonance, noise, racketthe auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a disagreeable auditory experiencedubthe new sounds added by dubbingpiano musicthe sound of music produced by a pianomusic of the spheresan inaudible music that Pythagoras thought was produced by the celestialharmonica tone that is a component of a complex soundtype of:aesthesis, esthesis, sensation, sense datum, sense experience, sense impressionan unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
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the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause“the sound of rain on the roof”“the beautiful sound of music”antonyms:silencethe absence of soundtypes:ringa characteristic soundunison(music) two or more sounds or tones at the same pitch or in octavesvoicethe distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speechandroglossiaa woman's voice with male qualitiesboisterousnessthe property of being noisy and lively and unrestrainedtype of:sound propertyan attribute of sound
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the sudden occurrence of an audible event“the sound awakened them”types:bonga dull resonant sound as of a bellbeatthe sound of stroke or blowchirpa sharp sound made by small birds or insectschorusany utterance produced simultaneously by a groupclick-clacka succession of clicksclip-clop, clippety-clop, clop, clopping, clumping, clunkingthe sound of a horse's hoofs hitting on a hard surfacecrythe characteristic utterance of an animaldinga ringing sounddrumthe sound of a drumgarglethe sound produced while garglinggurglethe bubbling sound of water flowing from a bottle with a narrow neckmurmur, murmuration, murmuring, mussitation, mutter, mutteringa low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speechnoisesound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)drum roll, paradiddle, rollthe sound of a drum (especially a snare drum) beaten rapidly and continuouslypattera quick succession of light rapid soundspinga sharp high-pitched resonant sound (as of a sonar echo or a bullet striking metal)plunka hollow twanging soundpurra low vibrating sound typical of a contented catquackthe harsh sound of a duckquavera tremulous soundsigha sound like a person sighingskirlthe sound of (the chanter of) a bagpipesonga distinctive or characteristic soundstrumsound of strummingswisha brushing or rustling soundtappingthe sound of light blow or knockthrobbinga sound with a strong rhythmic beatthruma thrumming soundthunka dull hollow soundtoota blast of a horntootlethe sound of casual playing on a musical instrumenttwanga sharp vibrating sound (as of a plucked string)vibrato(music) slight, rapid variations in pitch above or below a musical note to add warmth or a tremulous, quavering effectvoicea sound suggestive of a vocal utterancevroomthe roaring sound made by a motor that is running at high speedwhackthe sound made by a sharp swift blowwhistle, whistlingthe sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperturewhiza buzzing or hissing sound as of something traveling rapidly through the airzinga brief high-pitched buzzing or humming soundzizza buzzing or whizzing soundbaathe cry made by sheepbanginga continuing very loud noisebarkthe sound made by a dogbarka noise resembling the bark of a dogbaythe sound of a hound on the scentbleatthe sound of sheep or goats (or any sound resembling this)braythe cry of a donkeycacklethe sound made by a hen after laying an eggcaterwaulthe yowling sound made by a catcawthe sound made by corvine birdschugthe dull explosive noise made by an engineclattera rattling noise (often produced by rapid movement)coothe sound made by a pigeoncrowthe cry of a rooster (or an imitation of it)crunchthe sound of something crunchingding-dongthe noise made by a bellexplosionthe noise caused by an explosiongobblethe characteristic sound made by a turkeygratea harsh rasping sound made by scraping somethinggrindinga harsh and strident sound (as of the grinding of gears)fizzle, hiss, hissing, hushing, sibilationa fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)honkthe cry of a goose (or any sound resembling this)howla loud sustained noise resembling the cry of a houndhowlthe long plaintive cry of a hound or a wolfknellthe sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death or a funeral or the end of somethingmoothe sound made by a cow or bullpantthe noise made by a short puff of steam (as from an engine)pitter-pattera series of rapid tapping soundsplonkthe noise of something dropping (as into liquid)plopthe noise of a rounded object dropping into a liquid without a splashplumpthe sound of a sudden heavy fallracketa loud and disturbing noiserat-a-tat, rat-a-tat-tat, rat-tata series of short sharp taps (as made by strokes on a drum or knocks on a door)rale, rattle, rattlinga rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)reporta sharp explosive sound (especially the sound of a gun firing)rhonchusa sound like whistling or snoring that is heard with a stethoscope during expiration as air passes through obstructed channelsroarthe sound made by a lionrustle, rustling, whisper, whisperinga light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the windscream, screaming, screech, screeching, shriek, shriekinga high-pitched noise resembling a human cryscruncha crunching noiseshrillinga continuing shrill noisesizzlea sizzling noiseslamthe noise made by the forceful impact of two objectssnapthe noise produced by the rapid movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same handsnorethe rattling noise produced when snoringspatter, spattering, splatter, splattering, splutter, sputter, sputteringthe noise of something spattering or sputtering explosivelysquawkthe noise of squawkingsqueaka short high-pitched noisestridulationa shrill grating or chirping noise made by some insects by rubbing body parts togetherthundera booming or crashing noise caused by air expanding along the path of a bolt of lightningtrampa heavy footfalltweeta weak chirping sound as of a small birdtremolovocal vibrato especially an excessive or poorly controlled oneangelus, angelus bellthe sound of a bell rung in Roman Catholic churches to announce the time when the Angelus should be recitedbell ringingthe sound of someone playing a set of bellsstaccatoa series of sharp, distinct soundstype of:
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the audible part of a transmitted signalsynonyms: audiotype of:auditory communicationcommunication that relies on hearing
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(phonetics) an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some languagesynonyms: phone, speech soundtypes:phoneme(linguistics) one of a small set of speech sounds that are distinguished by the speakers of a particular languageconsonanta speech sound that is not a vowelorinasal, orinasal phonea speech sound produced with both the oral and nasal passages open (as French nasal vowels)allophone(linguistics) any of various acoustically different forms of the same phonemeablauta vowel whose quality or length is changed to indicate linguistic distinctions (such as sing sang sung song)diphthonga vowel sound that starts near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves toward the position for anotherpalatala semivowel produced with the tongue near the palate (like the initial sound in the English word `yeast')alveolar, alveolar consonant, dental, dental consonanta consonant articulated with the tip of the tongue near the gum ridgeobstruenta consonant that is produced with a partial or complete blockage of the airflow from the lungs through the nose or mouthaspiratea consonant pronounced with aspirationlinguala consonant that is produced with the tongue and other speech organsliquida frictionless continuant that is not a nasal consonant (especially `l' and `r')geminatea doubled or long consonantvelar, velar consonanta consonant produced with the back of the tongue touching or near the soft palateguttural, guttural consonant, pharyngeal, pharyngeal consonanta consonant articulated in the back of the mouth or throattype of:language unit, linguistic unitone of the natural units into which linguistic messages can be analyzed
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make a certain noise or soundsynonyms: gotypes:snarlmake a snarling noise or move with a snarling noiseblowmake a sound as if blowntingmake a light, metallic sound; go `ting'splatgive off the sound of a bullet flattening on impacttwangsound with a twangclankmake a clankrattlemake short successive soundscrashmake a sudden loud soundskirlmake a shrill, wailing soundgurglemake sounds similar to gurgling waterglugmake a gurgling sound as of liquid issuing from a bottleblowsound by having air expelled through a tubewhishmake a sibilant soundgugglemake a sound like a liquid that is being poured from a bottlepingmake a short high-pitched soundtrumpproduce a sound as if from a trumpetsquelchmake a sucking soundchugmake a dull, explosive soundchimeemit a soundrustlemake a dry crackling soundcrackmake a very sharp explosive soundwhistlemake whistling soundsclop, clump, clunk, plunkmake or move along with a sound as of a horse's hooves striking the groundpopmake a sharp explosive noisebleepemit a single short high-pitched signalbangto produce a sharp often metallic explosive or percussive sounddronemake a monotonous low dull soundrollemit, produce, or utter with a deep prolonged reverberating soundsizzlemake a sound like frying fathummake a low continuous soundracketmake loud and annoying noisesdrown outmake imperceptiblescreammake a loud, piercing soundbackfireemit a loud noise as a result of undergoing a backfirerucklemake a hoarse, rattling soundring outsound loudlytintinnabulatering or sound like a small bellpealring recurrentlyknellring as in announcing deathtootleplay (a musical instrument) casuallyconsonatesound in sympathyreechorepeat or return an echo again or repeatedly; send (an echo) backreechoecho repeatedly, echo again and againbongring loudly and deeplysputtermake an explosive soundtype of:cause to be perceivedhave perceptible qualities
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give off a certain sound or sounds
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cause to sound“sound the bell”“sound a certain note”types:playperform music on (a musical instrument)blowplay or sound a wind instrumenttwangcause to sound with a twangpreparelead up to and soften by sounding the dissonant note in it as a consonant note in the preceding chordgongsound a gongtingcause to make a tingpopcause to make a sharp explosive soundclinkmake a high sound typical of glassregistermanipulate the registers of an organskirlplay the bagpipesbeatproduce a rhythm by striking repeatedlytweedleplay negligently on a musical instrumentchordplay chords on (a string instrument)pipeplay on a pipedrumplay a percussion instrumentharpplay the harpfiddleplay the violin or fiddletrumpetplay or blow on the trumpetclarionblow the clariontollring slowly
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announce by means of a sound
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utter with vibrating vocal chords
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appear in a certain way
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a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of watersynonyms: straitexamples:Canakkale Bogazithe strait between the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara that separates European Turkey from Asian TurkeyEast Rivera tidal strait separating Manhattan and the Bronx from Queens and BrooklynBering Straita strait connecting the Bering Sea to the Arctic OceanBosporusa strait connecting the Mediterranean and the Black Sea; separates the European and Asian parts of Turkey; an important shipping routeCook Straita narrow strait separating the North Island and South Island in New ZealandGolden Gatea strait in western California that connects the San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean; discovered in 1579 by Sir Francis DrakeKattegatta strait of the North Sea between Jutland and Sweden; connects with the North Sea through the SkagerrakKorean Straita strait between Korea and Japan; connects the East China Sea and the Sea of JapanMenai Straita strait in northern Wales between Anglesey Island and the mainlandNorth Channela strait between Northern Ireland and Scotland that connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish SeaSkagerraka broad strait of the North Sea between Jutland and NorwaySolenta strait of the English Channel between the coast of Hampshire and the Isle of WightStrait of Georgiathe strait separating Vancouver Island from the Canadian mainlandStrait of Gibraltarthe strait between Spain and AfricaStrait of Hormuza strategically important strait linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of OmanStrait of Magellanthe strait separating South America from Tierra del Fuego and other islands to the south of the continent; discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520; an important route around South America before the Panama Canal was builtStrait of Messinathe strait separating Sicily from the tip of ItalyStrait of Calaisthe strait between the English Channel and the North Sea; shortest distance between England and the European continentTorres Straita strait between northeastern Australia and southern New Guinea that connects the Coral Sea with the Arafura Seatypes:narrowa narrow strait connecting two bodies of watertype of:channela deep and relatively narrow body of water (as in a river or a harbor or a strait linking two larger bodies) that allows the best passage for vessels
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a large ocean inlet or deep bay“the main body of the sound ran parallel to the coast”examples:Long Island Sounda sound between Long Island and ConnecticutPuget Soundan inlet of the North Pacific in northwestern Washington StateQueen Charlotte Soundan inlet of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of British Columbiatype of:body of water, waterthe part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean)
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measure the depth of (a body of water) with a sounding line
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in good condition; free from defect or damage or decay“a sound timber”“the wall is sound”“a sound foundation”synonyms:
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in excellent physical condition
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free from moral defect“a man of sound character”synonyms:righteouscharacterized by or proceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice
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exercising or showing good judgment“a sound approach to the problem”“sound advice”“no sound explanation for his decision”synonyms: healthy, intelligent, level-headed, levelheaded
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financially secure and safe“sound investments”“a sound economy”synonyms:unbrokennot broken; whole and intact; in one pieceundamagednot harmed or spoiled; soundfitphysically and mentally sound or healthyhealthyhaving or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or diseaseuninjurednot injured physically or mentallyhealthyfinancially secure and functioning wellsolidfinancially soundstablefirm and dependable; subject to little fluctuationwholesomeconducive to or characteristic of physical or moral well-beingantonyms:unsoundnot sound financiallybrokenphysically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or splitdamagedharmed or injured or spoiledunfitnot in good physical or mental condition; out of conditionunhealthynot in or exhibiting good health in body or mindinjuredharmedlonginvolving substantial riskwildcatoutside the bounds of legitimate or ethical business practicesunwholesomedetrimental to physical or moral well-being
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logically valid“a sound argument”synonyms: reasoned, well-groundedvalidwell grounded in logic or truth or having legal force
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having legal efficacy or force
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thoroughsynonyms:completehaving every necessary or normal part or component or step
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(of sleep) deep and complete
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Vocabulary lists containing sound
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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