- [countable] something that you can hear synonym noise
- a loud/soft/faint sound
- a high/low sound
- a buzzing/hissing/popping sound
- He crept into the house trying not to make a sound.
- sound of somebody/something She heard the sound of footsteps outside.
- the different sounds and smells of the forest
- He could hear the sound of several voices.
- sound of somebody/something doing something The sound of children playing in the garden woke me.
- A strange sound from the room next door startled her.
Extra Examples- A hollow sound echoed through the room.
- A strange sound came from the box.
- He didn't utter a single sound throughout the meeting.
- He jumped at the sound of my voice.
- He listened for sounds of movement.
- I awoke to the sound of rain.
- The door opened without a sound.
- The room was filled with the sound of laughter.
- There was a sickening sound as his head made contact with the concrete.
- Three bones transmit sounds to the inner ear.
- What's making that awful creaking sound?
- the distant sound of church bells
- I sat listening to the soft sound of rustling leaves.
- I still recall vividly the sights, sounds, and smells of our day at the seaside.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- deafening
- loud
- …
- hear
- listen for
- listen to
- …
- carry
- travel
- come
- …
- wave
- effect
- bite
- …
- at the sound of
- without a sound
- sound of
- …
- break the sound barrier
- the speed of sound
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- [uncountable] continuous rapid movements (called vibrations) that travel through air or water and can be heard when they reach a person’s or an animal’s ear
- Sound travels more slowly than light.
- aircraft that can fly faster than the speed of sound
- Sound carries well over calm water.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- deafening
- loud
- …
- hear
- listen for
- listen to
- …
- carry
- travel
- come
- …
- wave
- effect
- bite
- …
- at the sound of
- without a sound
- sound of
- …
- break the sound barrier
- the speed of sound
- [uncountable] what you can hear coming from a television, radio, etc., or as part of a film
- Could you turn the sound up/down?
- The sound quality of the tapes was excellent.
- Is the sound turned on? I can't hear anything.
- Even with the sound turned off, television is distracting.
- They were known for producing DVDs with good picture and sound.
Extra ExamplesTopics Film and theatrea1- There's a lot of ambient sound in this film.
- a game with good graphics and great sound
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- mono
- stereo
- surround
- …
- turn down
- turn off
- turn up
- …
- level
- quality
- system
- …
- [countable, uncountable] the effect that is produced by the music of a particular singer or group of musicians
- I like their sound.
- Franz Ferdinand have a great sound that's their own.
- The Moog synthesizer created a whole new sound.
- The band developed a formidable live sound.
- We experimented with different sounds.
- He has a sound unlike any other guitarist.
- Most of their songs have the sound of the sixties about them.
- He produces a good clean sound on his flute.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- live
- different
- new
- …
- create
- develop
- [singular] the sound of something the idea or impression that you get of somebody/something from what somebody says or what you read
- They had a wonderful time by the sound of it.
- From the sound of things you were lucky to find him.
- They're consulting a lawyer? I don't like the sound of that.
- [countable] (often in place names) a narrow passage of water that joins two larger areas of water synonym strait
- Plymouth Sound
something you hear
from television/radio
of musicians
impression
water
Word Originnoun senses 1 to 5 Middle English soun, from Anglo-Norman French soun (noun), suner (verb), from Latin sonus. The form with -d was established in the 16th cent. noun sense 6 Middle English: from Old Norse sund ‘swimming, strait’; related to swim.
Idioms
See sound in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee sound in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishlike, etc. the sound of your own voice
- (disapproving) to like talking a lot or too much, usually without wanting to listen to other people
- She’s much too fond of the sound of her own voice.
Which Word? noise / soundnoise / sound
- Noise is usually loud and unpleasant. It can be countable or uncountable:
- Try not to make so much noise.
- What a terrible noise!
- Sound is a countable noun and means something that you hear:
- All she could hear was the sound of the waves.
within (the) sound of something
- (British English) near enough to be able to hear something
- a house within sound of the sea
Check pronunciation:
sound