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Meaning & use

SOS

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌes əʊ ˈes/
US/ˌes oʊ ˈes/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    An international signal sent by ships, planes or people in danger to call for rescue.

    Grammar: Usually with send or transmit: send an SOS.

    Patterns

    • send an SOS
    • an SOS call

    The captain sent an SOS as the ship began to sink.

    Rescuers picked up the SOS from the boat's radio.

    Hikers wrote a huge SOS in the snow.

  2. nouncountableinformalfigurative

    Any urgent request for help.

    Grammar: Used figuratively and often informally.

    Patterns

    • send out an SOS

    The charity put out an SOS for blankets after the storm.

    I sent my sister an SOS when the car broke down.

Word forms

pluralSOSs

Common combinations

send an SOS
The crew sent an SOS before losing power.
SOS signal
A faint SOS signal came from the island.
SOS message
An SOS message was found in a bottle.
put out an SOS
The school put out an SOS for volunteers.
answer an SOS
Two nearby ships answered the SOS.

Synonyms and how they differ

mayday
Mayday is the spoken voice distress call, while SOS is the written or Morse code signal.
distress call
Distress call is a plain description of any call for rescue, while SOS is a specific signal.
cry for help
A cry for help is more emotional and can refer to a person's feelings, not just a signal.

Word family

Morse code noun
the dot-and-dash system in which SOS is sent
distress noun
great trouble or suffering
rescue noun
the act of saving someone from danger

Commonly confused: SOS or mayday?

SOS vs mayday

Mayday is spoken over radio, whereas SOS is a Morse code pattern.

Practice

What would a ship's crew most likely do if they send an SOS?

Make it your own

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