Sough
noun / verb /saʊ/ or /sʌf/ — The soft sound of wind moving through trees.
Definition
A moaning, sighing, or rustling sound; the murmuring of the wind through leaves or grass.
Beyond the definition
Sough is one of those words that sounds exactly like what it means. The sough of wind in pines. The sough of tall grass bending. It's a word that requires slowness to say properly, which makes it exactly right for describing something that requires stillness to hear.
Origin & history
Old English swōgan 'to sound, resound'. Related to Norwegian dialect suga 'to sigh'. One of the oldest acoustic words in the English language.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She lay in the long grass and listened to the sough of the wind through the poplars.
The sough of the sea reached them before the coastline did.
There was a sough to the evening air — not silence, but something close to it.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “Sough” when the meaning fits your context: A moaning, sighing, or rustling sound; the murmuring of the wind through leaves or grass.
Synonyms
murmur, sigh, rustle, whisper, hum
Antonyms
roar, crash, silence
Related words
Questions about this word
What does "Sough" mean?
Sough is noun / verb meaning: The soft sound of wind moving through trees.. A moaning, sighing, or rustling sound; the murmuring of the wind through leaves or grass.
Where does the word "Sough" come from?
Old English swōgan 'to sound, resound'. Related to Norwegian dialect suga 'to sigh'. One of the oldest acoustic words in the English language.