noun

sound

SOWND

noun

A sensation perceived by the ear, caused by vibrations traveling through air or another medium.

"She heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway."

"Thunder made a deep rumbling sound overhead."

A long, narrow stretch of water connecting two larger bodies of water, or separating an island from the mainland.

"They sailed through the sound between the island and the coast."

verb

To produce a sound, or to give an impression through how something comes across.

"The alarm sounded at midnight."

"That plan sounds risky to me."

adj

In good condition; healthy, solid, or well-founded.

"The bridge was found structurally sound after inspection."

"Her argument was logically sound."

How to Use Sound

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDepending on context: a noise, the act of making noise, "healthy/solid," or a narrow channel of water.

Common mistake

The "healthy/solid" sense and the "noise" sense are historically unrelated words that just happen to look alike.

Common pairings

sound asleep sound advice the sound of music sound like

Word Forms

sounder comparative, more sound comparative, sounded past tense, sounded past tense, sounds plural, sounds plural, sounds plural, sounds singular, sounds singular, soundest superlative, most sound superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

She heard the _____ of footsteps in the hallway.

Etymology

The "healthy/solid" and "strait of water" senses both trace to Old English words for "healthy" and a Germanic word for a narrow channel; the "noise" sense comes from a separate Latin root (sonus), making "sound" effectively three different words that merged in spelling.

Synonyms

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noise echo reecho resonate

Antonyms

quiet silence stillness

Related Words

talk rumor quiet echo noise silence loud signal

Rhymes for sound

pound wound bound found round hound mound abound ground around rebound impound

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