south·ern
ˈsə-t͟hərn 
1
Southern
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated South
2
a
: lying toward the south
b
: coming from the south
a southern wind
: the dialect of English spoken in most of the Chesapeake Bay area, the coastal plain and the greater part of the upland plateau in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and the Gulf states at least as far west as the valley of the Brazos in Texas and sometimes taken to include the south Midland area
Examples of southern in a Sentence
Adjective
the southern part of the state
the southern shore of the lake
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Dakss, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Then on Friday, Israeli warplanes struck near a state security office in the southern town of Nabatieh, killing 13 officers, according to the Lebanese president’s office.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
Hungarians living near the southern frontier, where Orbán made a show of building a border fence during the refugee crisis, are travelling to Croatia to buy cheap groceries.
—Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
One person died and two others were injured in a Thursday afternoon crash that shut down northbound Interstate 25 for hours in southern Colorado, according to the state patrol.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for southern
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Adjective
Israel then launched a new offensive against Hezbollah, and invaded much of southern Lebanon.
—Brian Dakss, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Then on Friday, Israeli warplanes struck near a state security office in the southern town of Nabatieh, killing 13 officers, according to the Lebanese president’s office.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
Hungarians living near the southern frontier, where Orbán made a show of building a border fence during the refugee crisis, are travelling to Croatia to buy cheap groceries.
—Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
One person died and two others were injured in a Thursday afternoon crash that shut down northbound Interstate 25 for hours in southern Colorado, according to the state patrol.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for southern
Cite this Entry
“Southern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southern. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
southern
adjective
south·ern
ˈsət͟h-ərn
1
capitalized
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the South
2
: lying toward or coming from the south
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