What does "souse" mean?
Something kept or steeped in brine.; The pickled ears, feet, etc., of swine.
Souse
/saʊs/ adv, noun, verb
adv, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something kept or steeped in brine.; The pickled ears, feet, etc., of swine.
- Grammar: souse is listed as adv, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: lush, sot, alcoholic, alky.
- Useful contrasts: abstainer, dehydrate, dry.
- Usage evidence: And he that can rear up a pig in his house, / Hath cheaper his bacon, and sweeter his souse.
How to use "souse"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "souse" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "souse" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "souse" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "souse" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "souse" is acting as adv, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "lush" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "souse", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something kept or steeped in brine.; The pickled ears, feet, etc., of swine.
"And he that can rear up a pig in his house, / Hath cheaper his bacon, and sweeter his souse."
- 2 The act of sousing, or swooping.
"Eft fierce retourning as a foulcon fayre, / That once hath failed of her souse full neare"
- 3 A sou (the French coin). obsolete
- 4 Pronunciation spelling of source. Internet, US, alt-of, pronunciation-spelling
- 5 the act of making something completely wet wordnet
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 Something kept or steeped in brine.; The pickled ears, feet, etc., of swine.; Pickled scrapple. Appalachia, US
- 7 A heavy blow.
"With that his murdrous mace he vp did reare, / That seemed nought the souse thereof could beare,"
- 8 A small amount. dated
- 9 pork trimmings chopped and pickled and jelled wordnet
- 10 Something kept or steeped in brine.; The pickled ears, feet, etc., of swine.; Pickled or boiled ears and feet of a pig Caribbean
- 11 a person who drinks alcohol to excess habitually wordnet
- 12 Something kept or steeped in brine.; A pickle made with salt.
- 13 Something kept or steeped in brine.; The ear; especially, a hog's ear.
- 14 The act of sousing; a plunging into water.
- 15 A drunkard.
""If there's any, giving in charge here I'll give you in charge for sneaking my beer, you slop-bellied old souse!" exclaimed Peter."
Verb
- 1 To immerse in liquid; to steep or drench. transitive
"(Although I bee well soused in this showere,)"
- 2 To strike, beat. dialectal, transitive
- 3 cover with liquid; pour liquid onto wordnet
- 4 To steep in brine; to pickle. transitive
- 5 To fall heavily. dialectal, intransitive
"Him so transfixed she before her bore / Beyond his croupe, the length of all her launce; / Till, sadly soucing on the sandy shore, / He tombled on an heape, and wallowd in his gore."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 cook in a marinade wordnet
- 7 To pounce upon. obsolete, transitive
"[The gallant monarch] like an eagle o'er his eyrie towers, / To souse annoyance that comes near his nest."
- 8 become drunk or drink excessively wordnet
- 9 immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Suddenly, without warning. archaic, dialectal, not-comparable
"Mr Nash […] suddenly taking the gentleman by the collar of his coat, and waistband of his breeches, threw him souse over the parapet to the object of his love."
Example
"And he that can rear up a pig in his house, / Hath cheaper his bacon, and sweeter his souse."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "souse"?
Common synonyms include: lush, sot, alcoholic, alky, baptism, baptize.
How do you use "souse" in a sentence?
And he that can rear up a pig in his house, / Hath cheaper his bacon, and sweeter his souse.
How do you pronounce "souse"?
Pronounced /saʊs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English souse (“to salt pickle”) also a noun (“liquid for pickling,” “pickled pig parts”), from Old French sous (“preserved in salt”), from Frankish *sultija (“saltwater, brine”), from Proto-Germanic *sultijō (“saltwater, brine”). Cognate with Old Saxon sultia (“saltwater”), Old High German sulza (“brine”).
Etymology 2
Obscure origin. Compare Middle German sûs (“noise”).
Etymology 3
Borrowed from French, from Old French sous (plural of sout), from Latin solidus. Compare solidus (“gold coin of the late Roman empire”).
Etymology 4
First appeared online during the Bush administration.