SOUNDS Synonyms: 156 Similar and Opposite Words

sounds 1 of 4

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of sound

as in echoes

to continue or be repeated in a series of reflected sound waves the stranded hiker's cries for help sounded throughout the canyon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in seems

to give the impression of being the idea at least sounds plausible

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in voices

to make known (as an idea, emotion, or opinion) a person who certainly isn't shy about sounding her opinions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in announces

to make known openly or publicly the grand opening of the region's newest and largest mall has been loudly sounded for months

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sounds

2 of 4

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of sound

as in plumbs

to measure the depth of (as a body of water) typically with a weighted line the pilot sounded the river to make sure we weren't in any danger of running aground

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in plunges

to cast oneself head first into deep water a whale suddenly surfaced and then, just as suddenly, sounded

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

surfaces

sounds

3 of 4

noun (1)

plural of sound

as in hearings

range of hearing wandered off, out of her parents' sight and sound

Synonyms & Similar Words

sounds

4 of 4

noun (2)

plural of sound

as in channels

a narrow body of water between two land masses Long Island Sound is between Connecticut and Long Island, New York

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 sounds

Verb

Eldridge sounds wistful, speculating about the person who might have worn them. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Scented fleetingly with cinnamon, the dates gently smoked, their rightness with eggs sounds improbable. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Stock markets are soaring to fresh record highs, even as the bond market sounds the alarm on fiscal constraints. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026 That the wrong cymbal would affect the way a song sounds so drastically. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026 Just like another superstar, Mick Jagger, her voice not only has held up, but sounds better than ever. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026 As the air alarm sounds over Izium, the children drop their drawing pens, tubes of glue, and felt-cutting scissors in unison and make for the door. — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026 Sure, that sounds ridiculous for a season about rape, infidelity, mass murder, suicide, and society’s ruthless commodification of those very things. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026 If that sounds lovely, the problem may be the logistics surrounding the visit. — Angela Haupt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026

Noun

Rooms The residence’s apartments and suites are all about modern luxury with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, along with a solid stone ceiling which eliminated any sounds coming in from other rooms. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 The new project serves as a counterpart to WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA, revisiting the sounds, themes and ideas of its predecessor from an inverse perspective. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2026 Humans have been collecting sounds ever since, and archiving them in institutions like the British Library Sound Archive and Library of Congress, for purposes scientific, ethnographic, historical and artistic. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 On Sunday, the sounds of war rang out repeatedly as the German delegation made its way around Kyiv, in what looks to be a new level of escalation by Moscow. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026 Guests arrived to the ambient sounds of singer Raphaelle, who serenaded the crowd with a mix of covers and her own music as her Anise dress shimmied under the spotlight. — Vogue, 5 Oct. 2026 Beat shows how so many of the sounds that were prevalent in the mid-’90s contained a unique, end-of-the century sadness. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026 Against the sounds of traffic, the groups hear pigeon mating sounds and babies squeaking for food. — Kyle Melnick The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026 No lights shone from blocks of flats; no sounds of traffic came from any road. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sounds

Verb

As tech moguls go, Morgan seems to be more Dario Amodei than Sam Altman.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
While scientists are known for their dedication to their research, crawling on the floor to avoid electrocution for the sake of a measurement seems a little excessive.

— Andrea Richard, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of seems

Verb

Larson headlined the Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry, earning Emmy, SAG, Critics Choice, and Golden Globe nominations, and voices Rosalina in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
Vasarhelyi, seemingly a less hands-on presence in this project, voices a few more misgivings, at one stage pointedly asking her husband how many people who have previously been guests at their dinner table are now dead.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of voices

Verb

Continue reading … DECISION DAY — Judge announces order on Lindsay Clancy's motion for not guilty finding, weeks after mistrial.

— , FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Throughout the episode, Luke texts Joy words of encouragement and romantically announces that a plate of vegetables at a restaurant reminded him of her.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of announces

Verb

Ophelia’s Got Talent plumbs the depths of the nineteenth-century cult of Ophelia, epitomized in John Everett Millais’s famous painting of her watery death.

— Caroline Lillian Schopp, Artforum, 13 May 2026
As Latifi plumbs the industry, what stands out is just how manufactured this content is, and how often the children are being manipulated to perform.

— Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026

Definition of plumbs

Verb

The film plunges James deep into the wilds with his retired military dog Odin after their small plan crash lands during a camping trip.

— Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2026
If that happens, an energy crisis that plunges the world into recession is not far off.

— RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of plunges

Noun

One denies bond hearings to people who entered the country illegally and may be deported.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
The council also plans to hold special public hearings, to find out how the Academy got to the point of closing, and what possible solutions might look like.

— Andrew Stelzer, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of hearings

Noun

As part of his role, the executive will also oversee the CRM, digital channels and omnichannel strategies.

— Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Billboard plans to launch the film on its digital channels and Billboard TV (available on Amazon Fire and Samsung TV+) on Tuesday, October 27.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of channels

Verb

However, each side holds that the Yemeni civil war has now entered a new phase from which neither side looks eager to extricate itself.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
For many of their classmates on campus and elsewhere around the country, the present looks bleak and the future uncertain at best.

— Jacqueline Ganun, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of looks

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sounds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sounds. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sounds

verb (1)

verb (2)

noun (1)

noun (2)

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes