Home / Dictionary / Sour

Sour Very Common

Sour has 14 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Verb · Adjective

Definitions
Noun
1

a cocktail made of a liquor (especially whiskey or gin) mixed with lemon or lime juice and sugar

"He ordered a sour to go along with his steak dinner."

2

the taste experience when vinegar or lemon juice is taken into the mouth

"The lemon added a sharp sourness to the water as I took a sip."

3

the property of being acidic

"The sour taste of the lemon came from its high acidity."

4

The sensation of a sour taste.

"The lemon made my mouth water with its sharp, sour taste."

In plain English: A sour is an unpleasant feeling of regret or disappointment that happens when you realize something bad has already occurred and cannot be changed.

"The sour in this lemon was so intense that I made my jaw hurt just biting into it."

Verb
1

go sour or spoil

"The milk has soured"

"The wine worked"

"The cream has turned--we have to throw it out"

2

make sour or more sour

"The vinegar began to sour the milk within minutes."

3

To make sour.

"The spoiled milk began to sour when left out in the sun."

Adjective
1

smelling of fermentation or staleness

"The old milk in the fridge had gone sour and gave off a foul smell."

2

having a sharp biting taste

"The lemon had such a sour flavor that it made my teeth ache from its sharp, biting taste."

3

one of the four basic taste sensations; like the taste of vinegar or lemons

"The lemon juice made the punch taste distinctly sour."

4

in an unpalatable state

"sour milk"

5

inaccurate in pitch

"a false (or sour) note"

"her singing was off key"

6

showing a brooding ill humor

"a dark scowl"

"the proverbially dour New England Puritan"

"a glum, hopeless shrug"

"he sat in moody silence"

"a morose and unsociable manner"

"a saturnine, almost misanthropic young genius"

"a sour temper"

"a sullen crowd"

7

Having an acidic, sharp or tangy taste.

"The lemon was so sour that it made my teeth ache immediately after I took a bite."

In plain English: Sour describes something that tastes sharp and unpleasant, like an unripe lemon.

"The milk has gone sour, so we cannot drink it anymore."

Example Sentences
"The milk has gone sour, so we cannot drink it anymore." adj
"The lemon juice made the sauce taste sour." adj
"His face turned sour when he heard the bad news." adj
"Don't leave milk out too long or it will go sour." adj
"The sour in this lemon was so intense that I made my jaw hurt just biting into it." noun
See Also
dry tasty soured bitter lemon acidulate sourly lime
Related Terms
Antonyms
dulcify sweet
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
cocktail taste taste property change state change taste
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
whiskey sour acidity acerbity vinegariness

Origin

The word "sour" comes directly from the same root in both Middle and Old English. It has been used to describe a sharp or acidic taste since ancient times, traveling through Germanic languages all the way back to Proto-Indo-European origins without changing its fundamental meaning.

Rhyming Words
our nour your cour hour jour lour dour four tour pour stour ofour odour flour clour scour glour amour repour
Compare
Sour vs