souse

Verb (1) a passing car barreled through the puddle and soused us good repeatedly soused the tools in the tub to get the dirt off firefighters soused the neighboring houses so that they wouldn't catch fire as well Noun an old souse who lumbered home with a full bottle of gin in him every night

Recent Examples on the Web

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Verb

The athletes were unwinding in the locker room when Coach Mark Few and his assistants charged in and began sousing them with ice-cold water. —Andrew Keh, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2023

And then there’s the soy sauce that gets soused over everything to improve bad food in a cheap restaurant. —Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023

Noun

For another Grand Turk specialty, chicken souse served with journey (called johnnycake on other Caribbean islands), Been suggests the deli at the Graceway Grand Turk or the Spot at the JAGS McCartney Airport, which serves the dish on Saturdays. —Laura Begley Bloom, AFAR Media, 10 Mar. 2025 Taste traditional home cooking If fish is for Friday, the traditional Bajan dish of pudding and souse is the staple of Saturday. —Patrick Scott, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025 The meat in souse is first tenderized through boiling and then marinated in lime, cucumbers, peppers and seasonings to pickled perfection. —Essence, 25 Nov. 2024 Guests were treated to local specialties like fresh conch salad, crack conch fritters, curry goat, chicken souse and more, with a side of carnival vibes and traditional music and dance performances. —Claudia Alarcón, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024 Similarly, the Grenadian dish of saltfish souse, where flaked saltfish and crunchy peppers top fluffy baking powder biscuits, reminds us of the ubiquity of saltfish in the transatlantic slave trade. —Jessica Carbone, Saveur, 29 Feb. 2024 While assembling these souse and bakes, the complex history of the Caribbean comes into full view, as does the resilience of Grenadians who have turned the foods of their oppression such as saltfish into profoundly beautiful, delicious dishes. —Lelani Lewis, Saveur, 29 Feb. 2024 The caterers served roti and jerk and pelau and souse. —Victoria Brown, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French suz, souce pickling juice, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German sulza brine, Old English sealt salt

Verb (2)

Middle English souce, noun, start of a bird's flight, alteration of sours, probably from Anglo-French surse source — more at source

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1567, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of souse was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Browse Nearby Words

sous-chef

souse

souslik

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Souse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/souse. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

souse

1 of 2 verb

ˈsau̇s

soused; sousing

: pickle entry 2

: to plunge in liquid : immerse

: to wet thoroughly : drench

: to make or become drunk

souse

2 of 2 noun

: something pickled

especially : seasoned and chopped meat trimmed from pork, fish, or shellfish

: an act of sousing : wetting

: drunkard

souse

verb (1)

noun

verb (2)

Synonyms

Examples of souse in a Sentence

Word History

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Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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souse

verb (1)

noun

verb (2)

Synonyms

Examples of souse in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for souse

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Share

Kids Definition

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