sou l-searching N‑UNCOUNT Soul-searching is a long and careful examination of your thoughts and feelings, especially when you are trying to make a difficult moral decision or thinking about something that has gone wrong. □ I did a lot of soul-searching, trying to find out what had gone wrong in my life.
sound
➊ NOUN AND VERB USES
➋ ADJECTIVE USES
➊ sound ◆◆◆ /saʊ nd/ (sounds , sounding , sounded )
→ Please look at categories 12 to 14 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1 N‑COUNT A sound is something that you hear. □ Peter heard the sound of gunfire. □ Liza was so frightened she couldn't make a sound. □ There was a splintering sound as the railing gave way. □ …the sounds of children playing.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Sound is energy that travels in waves through air, water, or other substances, and can be heard. □ The aeroplane will travel at twice the speed of sound.
3 N‑SING The sound on a television, radio, or CD player is what you hear coming from the machine. Its loudness can be controlled. □ She went and turned the sound down. □ Compact discs have brought about a vast improvement in recorded sound quality.
4 N‑COUNT A singer's or band's sound is the distinctive quality of their music. □ He's got a unique sound and a unique style.
5 VERB If something such as a horn or a bell sounds or if you sound it, it makes a noise. □ [V ] The buzzer sounded in Daniel's office. □ [V n] A young man sounds the bell to start the Sunday service.
6 VERB If you sound a warning, you publicly give it. If you sound a note of caution or optimism, you say publicly that you are cautious or optimistic. □ [V n] The markets sounded a warning over a slowdown in the global economy.
7 V‑LINK When you are describing a noise, you can talk about the way it sounds . □ [V + like ] They heard what sounded like a huge explosion. □ [V adj] The creaking of the hinges sounded very loud in that silence. □ [V as if] It sounded as if he were trying to say something.
8 V‑LINK When you talk about the way someone sounds , you are describing the impression you have of them when they speak. □ [V adj] She sounded a bit worried. □ [V + like ] Murphy sounds like a child. □ [V as if] She sounded as if she really cared. □ [V n] I thought she sounded a genuinely caring and helpful person.
9 V‑LINK When you are describing your impression or opinion of something you have heard about or read about, you can talk about the way it sounds . □ [V + like ] It sounds like a wonderful idea to me, does it really work? □ [V as if] It sounds as if they might have made a dreadful mistake. □ [V adj] She decided that her doctor's advice sounded pretty good. □ [V adj] The book is not as morbid as it sounds. □ [V n] I know this sounds a crazy thing for me to ask you.
10 N‑SING You can describe your impression of something you have heard about or read about by talking about the sound of it. □ Here's a new idea we liked the sound of. □ From the sound of things, he might well be the same man.
11 → see also -sounding , sounding
12 to sound the alarm → see alarm
13 to sound the death knell → see death knell
14 safe and sound → see safe
▸ sound off PHRASAL VERB If someone sounds off , they express their opinions strongly and rather rudely without being asked. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V P + about/on ] Some people sound off about something without really deciding what they think about it. [Also V P ]
▸ sound out PHRASAL VERB If you sound someone out , you question them in order to find out what their opinion is about something. □ [V P n] He is sounding out governments in the region on ways to resolve the conflict. □ [V n P ] Sound him out gradually. Make sure it is what he really wants.
➋ sound /saʊ nd/ (sounder , soundest )
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ , oft adv ADJ ] If a structure, part of someone's body, or someone's mind is sound , it is in good condition or healthy. □ When we bought the house, it was structurally sound. □ Although the car is basically sound, I was worried about certain areas.
2 ADJ Sound advice, reasoning, or evidence is reliable and sensible. □ They are trained nutritionists who can give sound advice on diets. □ Buy a policy only from an insurance company that is financially sound. □ His reasoning is perfectly sound, but he misses the point.
3 ADJ If you describe someone's ideas as sound , you mean that you approve of them and think they are correct. [APPROVAL ] □ I am not sure that this is sound democratic practice. □ I think the idea of secularism is a very sound one.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] If someone is in a sound sleep, they are sleeping very deeply. □ She had woken me out of a sound sleep. ● ADV [ADV adj] Sound is also an adverb. □ He was lying in bed, sound asleep.
5 → see also soundly
sound|alike /saʊ ndəla I k/ (soundalikes ) also sound-alike N‑COUNT A soundalike is someone, especially a singer, whose voice resembles that of a famous person. □ …an Elvis-soundalike.
sou nd bar|ri|er N‑SING If an aircraft breaks the sound barrier , it reaches a speed that is faster than the speed of sound.
sound|bite /saʊ ndba I t/ (soundbites ) also sound bite , sound-bite N‑COUNT A soundbite is a short sentence or phrase, usually from a politician's speech, which is broadcast during a news programme.