souse 1 of 2

noun

Definition of sousenext
as in alcoholic
a person who makes a habit of getting drunk an old souse who lumbered home with a full bottle of gin in him every night

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

souse

2 of 2

verb

ˈsau̇s How to pronounce souse (audio)
1
as in to wet
to make wet a passing car barreled through the puddle and soused us good

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dip
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid repeatedly soused the tools in the tub to get the dirt off

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to soak
to wet thoroughly with liquid firefighters soused the neighboring houses so that they wouldn't catch fire as well

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of souse
Noun
Both actors were the sons of souses (Dick Hopkins, on retiring from the baking trade, opened a pub), and the stuff was in their bloodstream. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025 Mars in your sign only happens every two years, souse this time wisely. — Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 3 Aug. 2025 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 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 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
Verb
At the reception, everyone sat at tables named for Italian directors and feasted on dishes like linguine with baby squid and soused trout by chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo. — Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026 Mars in your sign only happens every two years, souse this time wisely. — Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 3 Aug. 2025 The party scenes are tawdry, with flappers frenetically jiggling, their underwear peeking out and soused guests making spectacles of themselves. — Danielle Teller, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for souse
  1. alcoholic
  2. wet
  3. dip
  4. soak
  5. drown
  6. duck
  7. drench
  8. wash
Noun
  • The lost revenue comes later, when another alcoholic drink no longer feels necessary.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • The play recounts the father-son dynamic between Shaw and his father, Thomas, who was also an alcoholic and who died when Robert Shaw was 12.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Definition of alcoholic
Verb
  • Reduce irrigation to only once or twice a week to wet the soil to help control this problem.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 2026
  • Then add a second layer of sand, sweep it into place, and wet it down.
    — Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 July 2026
Definition of wet
Verb
  • But just as staggering was one of the overnight lows, which dipped to only a searing 97 degrees F (36 degrees C)—a tie for the hottest low that the city’s ever seen, a record first set just three years ago.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 30 July 2026
  • Just a few months ago, mortgage rates dipped below 6% for the first time in years, fueling hopes that lower borrowing costs would revive the sluggish housing market.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
Definition of dip
Verb
  • The single-sink bathroom vanity had just enough room for two, but the massive walk-in shower featured a soaking tub.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
  • After two straight early morning practices soaked by rain, the Buffalo Bills finally got through a training camp session in the sunshine.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of soak
Verb
  • Authorities on Monday identified a man who drowned over the weekend off the Carlsbad coast.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 July 2026
  • The fear is that those chains will keep coming, and eventually drown out places like Humaideh’s.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 27 July 2026
Definition of drown
Verb
  • To pretend otherwise, and to accuse everyone who points to these difficult trade-offs of bad faith, is to duck a confrontation with the deepest problems of politics and policy.
    — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • By contrast with physical products, policymakers now tend to duck difficult conversations about what to do with addictive services or experiences like gambling and video games.
    — Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
Definition of duck
Verb
  • Between 2 and 5 inches of rain could fall in different sections of New England, potentially imperiling a handful of places already drenched by previous storms in recent days.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 29 July 2026
  • Later that week, a torrential downpour would have drenched the tour.
    — Natalie B. Compton, Washington Post, 25 July 2026
Definition of drench
Verb
  • This is illustrated by this video with two identical glasses, washed identically, with the same wine in both, and poured at the same time.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • Turn simple ingredients into a restaurant-worthy meal with just one pan to wash.
    — Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 26 July 2026
Definition of wash

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Cite this Entry

“Souse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/souse. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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