some|time /sʌ mta I m/ ADV [ADV with v] You use sometime to refer to a time in the future or the past that is unknown or that has not yet been decided. □ The sales figures won't be released until sometime next month. □ Why don't you come and see me sometime?
some|times ◆◆◇ /sʌ mta I mz/ ADV [ADV with v] You use sometimes to say that something happens on some occasions rather than all the time. □ During the summer, my skin sometimes gets greasy. □ Sometimes I think he dislikes me. □ You must have noticed how tired he sometimes looks. □ Other people's jobs were exactly the same–sometimes good, sometimes bad.
some|what ◆◇◇ /sʌ m h wɒt/ ADV You use somewhat to indicate that something is the case to a limited extent or degree. [FORMAL ] □ He explained somewhat unconvincingly that the company was paying for everything. □ Although his relationship with his mother had improved somewhat, he was still depressed. SYNONYMS somewhat ADV
rather: The reality is rather more complex.
quite: I felt quite bitter about it at the time.
fairly: Both ships are fairly new.
pretty: Pretty soon after my arrival I found lodgings.
some|where ◆◇◇ /sʌ m h weə r /
1 ADV [ADV after v, ADV with be , from ADV ] You use somewhere to refer to a place without saying exactly where you mean. □ I've got a feeling I've seen him before somewhere. □ I'm not going home yet. I have to go somewhere else first. □ 'Perhaps we can talk somewhere privately,' said Kesler. □ Somewhere in Ian's room were some of the letters that she had sent him. □ I needed somewhere to live in London.
2 ADV You use somewhere when giving an approximate amount, number, or time. □ Caray is somewhere between 73 and 80 years of age. □ The W.H.O. safety standard for ozone levels is somewhere about a hundred.
3 PHRASE If you say that you are getting somewhere , you mean that you are making progress towards achieving something. □ At last they were agreeing, at last they were getting somewhere. USAGE somewhere
Don’t use ‘somewhere’ in negative sentences. Use anywhere . □ I haven’t got anywhere to live.
som|no|lent /sɒ mnəl ə nt/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you are somnolent , you feel sleepy. [FORMAL ] □ The sedative makes people very somnolent.
son ◆◆◆ /sʌ n/ (sons )
1 N‑COUNT [oft with poss] Someone's son is their male child. □ He shared a pizza with his son Laurence. □ Sam is the seven-year-old son of Eric Davies. □ They have a son.
2 N‑COUNT [with poss] A man, especially a famous man, can be described as a son of the place he comes from. [JOURNALISM ] □ …New Orleans's most famous son, Louis Armstrong. □ …sons of Africa.
3 N‑COUNT Some people use son as a form of address when they are showing kindness or affection to a boy or a man who is younger than them. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ Don't be frightened by failure, son.
so|nar /soʊ nɑː r / (sonars ) N‑VAR Sonar is equipment on a ship which can calculate the depth of the sea or the position of an underwater object using sound waves.
so|na|ta /sənɑː tə/ (sonatas ) N‑COUNT [oft in names] A sonata is a piece of classical music written either for a single instrument, or for one instrument and a piano.
son et lu|mi|ère /sɒ n e I luː mieə r / N‑SING Son et lumière is an entertainment which is held at night in an old building such as a castle. A person describes the history of the place, and at the same time different parts of the building are brightly lit and music is played.
song ◆◆◇ /sɒ ŋ, [AM ] sɔː ŋ/ (songs )
1 N‑COUNT A song is words sung to a tune. □ …a voice singing a Spanish song. □ …a love song.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Song is the art of singing. □ …dance, music, mime and song. □ …the history of American popular song.
3 N‑COUNT A bird's song is the pleasant, musical sounds that it makes. □ It's been a long time since I heard a blackbird's song in the evening.
4 → see also birdsong , song and dance , songbird , swan song
5 PHRASE If someone bursts into song or breaks into song , they start singing. □ I feel as if I should break into song. COLLOCATIONS song NOUN 1
noun + song : hit, love, pop, protest
adjective + song : catchy, favourite; classic, popular, traditional
verb + song : play, perform, sing; record, release, write
so ng and da nce
1 N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] A song and dance act is a performance in which a person or group of people sing and dance.
2 PHRASE If you say that someone is making a song and dance about something, you mean they are making an unnecessary fuss about it. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ He used his money to help others–but he never made a song and dance about it.
song|bird /sɒ ŋbɜː r d, [AM ] sɔː ŋ-/ (songbirds ) also song bird N‑COUNT A songbird is a bird that produces musical sounds which are like singing. There are many different kinds of songbird.
so ng sheet (song sheets ) also songsheet N‑COUNT A song sheet is a piece of paper with the words to one or more songs printed on it. Song sheets are given to groups of people at occasions when they are expected to sing together.